Chapter 32: New Derived World
"Tick, tock, tick, tock~."
The sound of a clock echoed through the quiet living room.
Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the sofa, placing his blade across his thighs as he meditated.
This form of meditation was not the kind used by mages, but a technique taught to Su Xiao by Koushirou, allowing him to perceive himself more clearly.
Practicing the blade was not merely about slashing and cutting; it was also a process of strengthening both body and mind. For others, this process might seem tedious, but Su Xiao found joy in it.
The level of passion one has for something determines how far they can go with it. If even the basic enthusiasm is lacking, it's better to give up—especially when it comes to mastering the blade.
"Phew~."
Letting out a long breath, Su Xiao ended his meditation. Though he hadn't moved, he felt ravenously hungry.
Picking up his phone, Su Xiao ordered takeout for eight people. With his current appetite, a normal person's portion wouldn't even fill the gaps between his teeth.
Half an hour later, a knock came at the door.
Seeing the sweat-drenched delivery driver, Su Xiao gave a wry smile. The guy had carried eight portions of food up the stairs—quite the effort.
"Click."
The door across from him opened, and a man in sunglasses with a stern expression stepped out.
The Sunglasses Man glanced at Su Xiao and the delivery driver. Upon seeing Su Xiao, he became noticeably alert, since Su Xiao lived directly across from him.
"New resident?"
"New resident."
With that brief exchange, the Sunglasses Man headed downstairs.
After a hearty meal, Su Xiao recalled the Sunglasses Man. His steps were steady, his lower body stable—definitely not an ordinary person. But Su Xiao had no intention of investigating his background; that would be meddling.
Having only stayed in the real world for a few days, Su Xiao felt inexplicably restless.
He found himself eager to return to the adventure of Reincarnation Paradise, which made him chuckle bitterly. Perhaps he was simply born restless.
[Ding, a new derived world is about to open. The Hunter will return to Reincarnation Paradise. Please ensure there are no witnesses nearby.]
[Teleporting... Teleportation complete.]
Su Xiao felt his consciousness blur, a ringing in his ears. When everything settled, he was already inside his exclusive room.
A new derived world was coming. Su Xiao couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. What world would he enter this time? If it was another nightmare difficulty like One Piece, things would get tricky.
Entering this derived world, Su Xiao would not only receive the main quest from Reincarnation Paradise but also a hunting mission.
If the derived world's difficulty was too high, his chances of successfully hunting would be slim.
"Paradise, what derived world will I be entering?"
[Hunter Level: Lv.2. Notification will be given ten minutes before entering the derived world. The Hunter will enter the derived world in one hour. Please wait patiently.]
Su Xiao understood. He could learn which derived world he was entering in advance, but it required a higher level. The higher his level, the earlier the notification, giving him more preparation time.
For now, he only had ten minutes—not too short, but not long either. It was too late to prepare anything substantial.
Leaving his exclusive room, Su Xiao headed toward a trade market.
It was a circular plaza. While items were sold throughout Reincarnation Paradise, this place had the most people, and among them, there were often good finds.
The green firearm Su Xiao had seen earlier was at this trade plaza.
"Complete skill materials, four-month-old shop!"
"Too expensive! Seven hundred? Why don't you just rob me!"
"Buying derived world production materials, fair prices!"
"Don't miss out! Various recovery items for sale!"
The crowd was bustling, with shouts of vendors and haggling voices mixing together.
Su Xiao had 2,827 Paradise Coins left, which he had deliberately saved to prepare for the upcoming derived world.
He stopped in front of a stall selling recovery items. Several contractors had already gathered there, looking hesitant.
Su Xiao had seen this stall a few times before. The owner was likely a Worker, often setting up shop here.
Compared to Contractor stalls, Su Xiao preferred those run by Workers.
Many Contractors treated items obtained from derived worlds like treasures, pricing them absurdly high.
Workers, however, were different. They spent their time in the trade market and had a good grasp of the prices in Reincarnation Paradise.
If a large number of Contractors recently entered a world with dark creatures, the price of light-attribute items would noticeably rise.
Price fluctuations depended on Contractor demand—this was an iron law. Workers dared not inflate prices arbitrarily, as they too entered derived worlds and could face retaliation.
At the recovery item stall, Su Xiao found several decent options.
[Salt Rice Ball]
Origin: Toriko
Quality: White
Type: Recovery Item
Effect: After consumption, slowly restores 10% of health points.
Rating: 3 (Note: White items are rated 1 to 10. Rating represents the item's value.)
Description: A rice ball. A magical rice ball. A rice ball that can slowly heal injuries.
...
[Golden Fried Rice]
Origin: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
Quality: White
Type: Recovery Item
Effect: After consumption, slowly restores 40% of health points. (This item requires a longer time to eat. Health recovery depends on the amount consumed, minimum 1%, maximum 40%.)
Rating: 5 (Note: White items are rated 1 to 10. Rating represents the item's value.)
Description: It's not just a recovery item; it's also delicious. A dish that doesn't make you tear off your clothes isn't a good dish.
...
[XT-12 Life Vitality Potion]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise, Radiance Potion Production Line No. 3
Quality: White
Type: Recovery Item
Effect: After drinking, quickly restores 15% of health points.
Rating: 8 (Note: White items are rated 1 to 10. Rating represents the item's value.)
Description: Manufactured by a Worker, reviewed by Reincarnation Paradise: Safe.
...
Among these three recovery items, while [Golden Fried Rice] had the highest recovery amount, it required full consumption and had a slow recovery speed.
[Salt Rice Ball] was similar to [Golden Fried Rice], but it could be eaten much faster. Su Xiao estimated he could down it in two bites at most, or even swallow it whole in a pinch.
The most valuable was the [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion]. Though it only restored 15% of health, it could be taken in a single gulp during a lull in battle.
Reincarnation Paradise didn't have a direct-use function for potions; he had to use them himself.
In the heat of battle, consuming recovery items was difficult, but that didn't mean they were useless. Using them to heal after a fight was the best choice.
"Name your price for these three."
The Worker saw that Su Xiao intended to buy. Unlike the other Contractors nearby, Su Xiao was more purposeful.
"[Salt Rice Ball] 100 Paradise Coins, [Golden Fried Rice] 200 Paradise Coins, [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion] 700 Paradise Coins. Total: 1,000 Paradise Coins.
Friend, I can see you're serious about buying, and I'm serious about selling. This is the best price. I'm called Medicine Jar. Consider it making a friend."
The first two food recovery items weren't expensive, but the potion was priced at 700 Paradise Coins.
But that was a life-saving item, so the higher price was justified.
Imagine a Contractor on the verge of death—one bottle could save their life.
"Too expensive. How about this: I'll buy more..."
After some haggling, Su Xiao spent 1,500 Paradise Coins to buy [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion] ×1, [Golden Fried Rice] ×2, and [Salt Rice Ball] ×5.
The Worker named Medicine Jar was pleased and even gave Su Xiao proper usage instructions.
Medicine Jar was obviously a fake name, just like Su Xiao's White Night. Contractors using their real names in Reincarnation Paradise were rarer than giant pandas.
[Salt Rice Ball] only restored 10% of health, but it was convenient to eat.
Recovery items had no cooldown, but if consumed repeatedly in a short time, their effects would diminish, eventually becoming useless.
"Brother, hope you come back alive."
Medicine Jar waved at Su Xiao, a sincere smile on his face.
Workers were different from Contractors. They hadn't experienced much cruelty; most Workers had never even killed anyone.
"Thanks for the good wishes."
After wandering around the trade market for a while, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
[Hunter will enter the derived world in ten minutes: Tokyo Ghoul.]