Chapter 84: The Arrival (Fourth Update)
Damp, slimy, cold.
With a splash, filthy water splattered everywhere.
This was a large swamp, a combat scenario simulated by the arena.
Su Xiao had been fighting continuously in the arena for several hours. Due to his low ranking, his matchmaking was extremely fast, and since his opponents were all weaklings, each battle was resolved in a few minutes, including the entry time.
After achieving a 67-win streak, Su Xiao jumped from rank 125,743 directly to 10,650. If he won this current battle, he would break into the top 10,000.
After reaching around the 10,000 mark, the opponents' strength noticeably improved. At least these opponents could put up some resistance against Su Xiao, though the chances of them defeating him were slim.
Su Xiao's current opponent was a young girl. Whether due to personal preference or ability, her attire resembled that of a magical girl.
Generally, girls like this gave off a soft impression, commonly known as a soft girl. However, Su Xiao's opponent only looked like a soft girl; in reality, she was as stubborn as a mule. Even though Su Xiao had already severed both her arms and massive amounts of true damage had nearly killed her, this stubborn mule refused to surrender. Instead, she relied on her class's innate flash ability to dart around wildly—a movement technique similar to spatial teleportation, but one whose trajectory could be tracked.
Su Xiao walked through the muddy swamp. The arena didn't simulate a virtual scene; it was a real scene. Rather than simulation, it was more accurate to call it manifestation.
Mud splashed as Su Xiao's gaze fell on the murky water at his feet. Several bubbles rose from the mud, and his instinct ability clearly sensed that the enemy was submerged in the muddy water, still stubborn.
With a whoosh, mud flew everywhere. The stubborn mule girl bit down on her magic wand, demonic energy surging. She wasn't a traditional mage. In this situation, she had been lying in ambush for a long time, having swallowed several mouthfuls of mud as a result.
"Oh~"
A pained groan escaped her as she burst out of the mud, only to be stomped back down by Su Xiao.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Bubbles rose, mud splattered. The stubborn mule girl flailed her arms and legs wildly. Su Xiao lit a cigarette and waited silently.
About two minutes later, he lifted his foot, and the stubborn mule girl surged out of the mud.
"Pfft."
She spat out a large mouthful of muddy water, her eyes burning with fighting spirit. Just as she was about to attack Su Xiao again, she suddenly felt her body lighten, then her entire form uncontrollably rose upward as a grip tightened around her throat.
Su Xiao held the stubborn mule girl by the neck, looking directly into her eyes. He couldn't understand—this was just the arena, why was she so persistent?
The stubborn mule girl put away the wand from her mouth, meeting Su Xiao's gaze with eyes full of defiance, and spoke.
"Truly a worthy opponent."
Who knew if her conscience ached? From the start of the battle, she had been pinned down in the mud and slashed—how was this a worthy match?
Su Xiao realized this stubborn mule girl wasn't just stubborn; she was also a bit chuunibyou. The meaning in her eyes was: 'My worthy opponent, come praise me.'
He raised his blade and thrust forward. A large burst of light particles exploded in Su Xiao's hand, and the stubborn mule girl vanished.
As she disappeared, Su Xiao vaguely heard something like: 'This script is wrong.'
It seemed the stubborn mule girl's chuunibyou was beyond cure. The Reincarnation Paradise was full of all kinds of people: fierce, cruel, goofy, gloomy, mentally ill, madmen, chuunibyou, and so on.
In this harsh environment, the hidden aspects of everyone's heart were awakened. Perhaps, when contractors were in the Reincarnation Paradise, they showed their truest selves.
Su Xiao returned to the rest area and checked his personal ranking.
[Competitor: Su Xiao.]
[Status: Good.]
[Rank: 9,989 (Third Rank).]
[Win Streak: 68 matches.]
[Top Ten Reward: Not obtained.]
He had barely broken into the top 10,000. Su Xiao's remaining stay time in the Reincarnation Paradise was about to reach its limit.
Sure enough, not long after returning to the rest area, the Reincarnation Paradise's prompt appeared.
[Hunter's stay time in the Reincarnation Paradise has reached its limit.]
[About to return to the Real World. Please remember the Reincarnation Paradise regulations.]
[Under no circumstances may any information about the Reincarnation Paradise be disclosed in the Real World...]
[Teleportation begins. Location: Real World.]
Real World, the second floor of the accessory shop Su Xiao ran.
Su Xiao and Bubu Wang appeared simultaneously. In a flash, Bubu Wang bit down on Su Xiao's mud-covered calf, its dog body stiffening.
Su Xiao was puzzled. Was this fool interested in his mud-caked shoes?
Not exactly. Rewind to about ten seconds earlier. Inside a cold drink shop in the Reincarnation Paradise, Bubu Wang, as a high-level VIP customer, sat at the window seat the female shop owner had specially reserved for it.
In front of Bubu Wang was a soft pudding. The slightest vibration would cause this exquisite pudding to tremble.
Bubu Wang glanced out the window and sighed inwardly. It had come so far. Back in the day, it was just a low-intelligence Imperial Artifact, the kind that could break down at any moment. Now, it was a higher life form.
Thinking this, Bubu Wang stretched its head to bite the pudding, as it was about to be teleported away.
After a blunt hammer blow and a hyper-speed teleportation, the scene on the second floor of the accessory shop appeared.
Bubu Wang was sorrowful. Why had the soft pudding turned into mud-caked shoes? Why was a dog's life so hard?
Su Xiao took off his mud-covered shoes and tossed them to Bubu Wang.
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
With that, Su Xiao headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Leaving aside the daily life of blood-soaked Su Xiao and the foolish Bubu Wang, ten kilometers from the accessory shop, two bald Mexican men stood on a pedestrian street, waiting for the traffic light.
One wore a beige suit, the other gray. Beneath the suits were muscular bodies. With their bald heads and stern expressions, the two gave off a silent yet fierce vibe.
One bald man raised his arm, and the fingers of his other hand pushed back his sleeve. It was just a gesture to check the time, but it was executed with meticulous precision.
It was exactly noon. The two bald men nodded at each other without a word. Though they were twin brothers, they could go a full week without speaking to each other—or rather, unless necessary, they wouldn't utter a single word.
The two left the pedestrian street, hailed a taxi, handed the driver a note, and also passed over a bright red bill.
The driver instinctively sensed something was off. The two silent bald men gave him an inexplicable sense of pressure.
"Where are you two headed?"
The driver tentatively asked, met with dead silence.
The hot weather, combined with this strange atmosphere, caused a layer of oily sweat to form on the driver's forehead.
About half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of an accessory shop. The two bald men got out almost simultaneously, walking in unison toward the shop.