Chapter 26: Growth Potential
Leaving the cold drink shop, Su Xiao walked thoughtfully along the streets of Reincarnation Paradise.
Based on the information Xiluo Luo provided, his first priority was to head to the central area of Reincarnation Paradise and familiarize himself with the dozen or so important buildings there.
First, get acquainted with Reincarnation Paradise, then enhance his attributes, and after that, spend the Paradise Coins he had earned.
He currently had a total of 8,400 Paradise Coins. It should have been more, but recovering from his injuries had cost over 3,000 Paradise Coins, and he had also paid Xiluo Luo 50 Paradise Coins, leaving him with only this amount.
After some initial exploration, Su Xiao had come to understand the value of Paradise Coins.
After experiencing their first derivative world, ordinary contractors typically earned between 1,000 and 2,000 Paradise Coins, barely enough to buy a single weapon.
The derivative world he had experienced, however, was extremely dangerous, so he had earned a larger amount of Paradise Coins, over ten thousand in total.
Walking along the streets of Reincarnation Paradise, observing the contractors of various appearances, Su Xiao suddenly found himself liking this place.
Reincarnation Paradise was like a primeval forest. Its cruelty tore away everyone's hypocritical masks, revealing their true selves.
Although it was brutal, it was also simpler.
If someone bore a grudge, they simply settled it with life or death. The arena within Reincarnation Paradise was prepared for such people.
After traveling for about an hour, Su Xiao arrived at the central area.
Because he hadn't concealed his appearance, many people cast glances his way along the journey, but no brainless passersby came to provoke him.
Not concealing one's face could mean several things: perhaps he was a newcomer, or perhaps he was an incredibly powerful monster who simply saw no need to hide his features.
What Su Xiao didn't know was that he currently embodied both possibilities—he was both a newcomer and an exceptionally powerful monster.
The inheritance of the Shadow of Law Destruction had boosted his attributes by a full 14 points.
Obtaining attribute points was not easy. An ordinary contractor would need to go through 4 to 6 worlds just to barely gain 14 attribute points, and that was only under favorable circumstances.
Arriving at the central district of Reincarnation Paradise, a dozen or so magnificent buildings came into view.
Unlike the shops of the workers, these buildings were much taller, standing out like a crane among chickens.
[Attribute Enhancement Hall], [Equipment Enhancement Hall], [Trial Grounds], [Arena]...
Su Xiao could only clearly identify these four buildings. The others were shrouded in mist, likely because he didn't yet have the authority to access them.
Su Xiao walked directly into the [Attribute Enhancement Hall]. The moment he stepped through the entrance, his vision blurred, and by the time he regained his senses, he was inside a small, several-square-meter steel compartment.
"Click, clack~."
Mechanical sounds echoed from all around, and a screen appeared before Su Xiao.
[Welcome to the Attribute Enhancement Pod. Please pay the activation fee. Activation fee: 100 Paradise Coins.]
He was already familiar with this situation. Upon entering the Attribute Enhancement Hall, everyone was randomly teleported into an enhancement pod, after which they had to pay to use it.
After paying 100 Paradise Coins, a prompt appeared on the screen.
Strength: 12-1 (Equipment bonuses temporarily inactive)
Agility: 10
Stamina: 6
Intelligence: 12
Charm: 3
[Hunters may allocate attribute points independently. Current available attribute points: 4]
[Ding, detected that the Hunter's affinity attributes are Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. Please prioritize enhancing these three attributes.]
Su Xiao was not surprised by the prompt from Reincarnation Paradise.
After inheriting the Shadow of Law Destruction, he had received a notification that when his three affinity attributes reached twenty points, there would be an additional change.
Every contractor chose their affinity attributes, but generally, they chose them themselves. For example, melee-type contractors would choose Strength or Agility, while mages would choose Intelligence, and so on.
Su Xiao's situation was somewhat special. After inheriting the Shadow of Law Destruction, his affinity attributes had become fixed.
And what was particularly frustrating was that his affinity attributes had a characteristic: the difference between the three attributes could not exceed three points. Otherwise, the higher attribute could not be enhanced in the Attribute Enhancement Hall.
This undoubtedly limited Su Xiao's rapid growth. If he only enhanced one attribute, he could quickly reach twenty points in that attribute.
But there were also benefits. By developing multiple attributes simultaneously, as long as he could keep pace with contractors of the same rank, he would undoubtedly be a top-tier existence in terms of strength.
Su Xiao now had 4 attribute points. After thinking for a moment, he allocated 1 point to Strength and the remaining 3 points all to Agility. This balanced out his attributes.
[Enhancement begins. As enhancement is accompanied by severe pain, would you like to use the anesthesia function? This function is free.]
"Deactivate it."
Su Xiao answered decisively. Xiluo Luo had casually mentioned earlier that it was best not to use the anesthesia function when enhancing attributes, as it would affect the enhancement results.
However, most contractors chose the anesthesia function because the sensation during attribute enhancement was nothing short of excruciating.
To become stronger than others, one had to endure what ordinary people could not.
The enhancement pod began to operate gradually, and a bone-deep, searing pain surged through him.
"No wonder others choose the anesthesia function."
Su Xiao's skin began to redden, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The feeling during attribute enhancement was quite "thrilling."
...
Ten minutes later, Su Xiao, drenched in sweat, walked out of the Attribute Enhancement Hall.
Although the pain during attribute enhancement was excruciating, once he endured the initial agony, the subsequent feeling of gradually growing stronger was also quite pleasant.
Su Xiao didn't know how others felt, but he actually enjoyed this sensation.
Only the power gained after enduring hardship was the most reliable power. As for the so-called anesthesia function, he would not choose it—not today, and not in the future.
In reality, Xiluo Luo had only mentioned it in passing. Apart from a very small number of "freaks," most contractors chose the anesthesia function.
After enhancing his attributes, Su Xiao's unarmed stats became Strength 12, Agility 13, and Intelligence 12.
If he included the bonus from [Deceased Wife's Pendant], his Strength also reached 13 points, matching his Agility.
Although Su Xiao was now much stronger, he was not satisfied.
With his attributes suddenly increasing, he couldn't adapt to them at all. Even walking felt a bit awkward.
His consciousness was not accustomed to his now-powerful body, which required extensive training—there was no shortcut.
But this was not a problem. The [Trial Grounds] within Reincarnation Paradise was his best option now.
Glancing at the [Trial Grounds] before him, Su Xiao shook his head.
He hadn't rested since leaving the derivative world. Moreover, in the derivative world, he had to constantly guard against various dangers, making it impossible to rest peacefully.
Activating the brand on his arm, Su Xiao vanished from his spot and reappeared in his exclusive room. This was a benefit provided by Reincarnation Paradise: as long as he was within Reincarnation Paradise, he could return to his exclusive room at any time.
The comfortable temperature of the exclusive room made Su Xiao feel drowsy. Lying down on the slightly soft floor, he fell into a deep sleep within five minutes.
The prolonged mental tension in the derivative world had finally become too much for him to bear.