Chapter 3: Hunter VS Hunter
Inside a tropical forest overgrown with vegetation, Su Xiao walked ahead holding the Heart-Moistening Blade, slashing aside banana leaves and shrubs. Traversing this kind of terrain was physically demanding, but fortunately, this level of stamina consumption meant nothing to Su Xiao.
The immediate priority was to rendezvous with Amu and Baha. Amu was nearby, while Baha was farther away, but since he could fly, it wouldn't take him long to arrive.
Half an hour later, Amu approached from the south. Seeing Amu, Su Xiao instinctively glanced at Bubu Wang.
"Woof~"
"Moo~"
Amu scratched his head, which was slightly swollen. Don't misunderstand—Amu hadn't encountered a super-powered wasp. He had been teleported to a low altitude, and upon landing, he sat right on top of a half-house-sized wasp nest, after which he was swarmed by countless super-powered wasps.
The result was that Amu ate his fill and even wrapped up a lot of honey in banana leaves, wanting Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Baha, and Beini to taste this delicious honey too.
The task of clearing the path was handed over to Amu. Walking behind Amu, Su Xiao checked the main quest. This world's main quest had only one phase.
[Main Quest: Spoils of War.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.62 ~ Lv.69
Quest Information: Kill at least five survivors.
Quest Duration: 15 natural days.
Quest Reward: Determined by the number of survivors killed.
Hint: Killing five survivors achieves 100% completion, ten achieves 120%, twenty achieves 150%, twenty-five achieves 190%, and thirty achieves 240%.
Hint: Quest completion can reach a maximum of 300%, requiring the killing of fifty survivors.
Quest Penalty: Forced execution.
...
The quest content was quite simple, but executing it was very difficult. The reason was that Su Xiao felt the contractors he encountered this time were not easy to deal with.
There were two requirements to participate in the Survival Trial, and meeting either one was sufficient. First, three comprehensive ratings of S- or above, or a ranking within the top 10,000 in the Tree Arena.
There would be no weaklings within the top 10,000 of the Tree Arena. This 10,000 included all seventh-rank contractors from every paradise, as well as seventh-rank powerhouses from the Void and Transcendent Derived Worlds.
The top 10,000 based on this criterion had substantial weight. It might include those ranked in the top 1,000, or even the top 100. As for the top ten, their appearance was not impossible.
Su Xiao wasn't sure where his current strength stood. That massive windfall earlier had caused a near-leap in his power.
Food and fresh water were sealed off. Su Xiao didn't care much about that, but the sealing of supplies drastically increased the cost of battle. Once injured, he could only recover through self-healing. Healing-type contractors would be very popular in this world. He could consider capturing one.
"Boss, the scenery here is nice, but there are too many insects."
Baha flew over. For some reason, he had a large empty fruit shell stuck on his head, completely covering his entire skull.
"Yee-haw!"
Seeing Bubu Wang and Amu's faces, Baha took off the empty fruit shell. He had also been swarmed by super-powered wasps.
This wasn't a coincidence. This entire large area was the territory of Tiger-Eye Wasps. The number of Tiger-Eye Wasps in this area had to be calculated in the hundreds of millions. The forest in this region was called the Wasp Nest by the local indigenous tribes.
The team was assembled. As for Beini, that cat had long since run off, returning to the tropical forest. It was like coming home for her; this was Beini's home turf, so she had already gone to do something.
Su Xiao's next plan was simple: start from the Wasp Nest as a base point and search the surrounding area for other contractors. If he encountered a lone one, he would strike directly. Su Xiao didn't care at all whether they were a survivor or a hunter. Aside from his own contractors, he would eliminate anyone he met.
If he encountered a team, that would be interesting. He would first find a way to blend in, determine the situation of these people, and then make his move.
[Prompt: The Paradise Trial has officially begun.]
[Number of Survivors: 300.]
[Number of Hunters: 25.]
[This trial will last for 15 natural days. Each natural day, supplies will be dropped at a random time.]
[Dropped supplies are divided into two categories: Consumables and Rare Items.]
[Consumables include: Eighth-Rank Recovery Potions, Eighth-Rank Items, One-Time Scrolls (such items cannot be taken out of this world).]
[Rare Items include: Soul Crystals (Complete), Random Holy Spirit Rank Equipment, Gems, Bloodline Items, etc. (Such items can be taken out of this world).]
[Prompt: The Life Dragon Essence will be dropped on the fourth natural day. The specific drop time is random, and the location is random.]
[When supplies are dropped, a spatial reaction will appear in the sky. Each drop will release 5 to 7 supply crates.]
[Prompt: Supply crates containing consumables are white, rare item crates are green, and the Life Dragon Essence crate is blue.]
[Prompt: On the tenth natural day, the only purple supply crate will be dropped.]
...
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao realized one thing: the identities of survivors and hunters were not absolute. If many survivors united, they could completely turn around and hunt the hunters, while also monopolizing the dropped supplies.
The immediate priority was still to find other contractors. At the very least, he needed to fulfill the basic requirements of the main quest. Forced execution was no joke.
Buzz~
A Tiger-Eye Wasp flew over. A piece of Banishment detached from Su Xiao's sleeve, disappearing instantly. The Tiger-Eye Wasp, its wings severed, fell. This super-powered creature was being controlled by someone.
"Good perception. Are you a summoner?"
A dozen meters away, a young man was crouching on a tree branch.
"Don't misunderstand. We mean no harm."
As soon as the young man finished speaking, three more figures leaped onto the trees near him. There were four in total.
"Summoner, are you a hunter?"
"Of course... not."
"Good. Want to team up with us?"
"Sure."
Meeting someone who came to him willingly, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't refuse. Seeing how straightforward he was, the young man crouching on the branch smiled.
"Counting you, our team has five people now. I'm Moonlight, from Apocalypse. This is Gourmet, from Sanctuary."
Moonlight tilted his chin. Gourmet, not far away, didn't speak, only smiled. This smile felt familiar, at least to Su Xiao. He often saw his own contractors smiling like that during World Wars.
"That sexy lady over there is Violet, from Holy Light. And this old man is Old Jackal, from Apocalypse with me. Oh, I'm the captain of this team."
The young man named Moonlight claimed to be the captain. Nearby, Violet, with seductive eyes, winked at Su Xiao. The last one, an old man named Old Jackal, smiled kindly.
Four contractors, none claiming to be from Reincarnation Paradise.
"What about you?"
Moonlight seemed to be a cheerful young man, with a mining shovel hanging from his waist.
"Kukulin, also from Apocalypse."
"Then the three of us are really fated."
Moonlight leaped down from the tree. Gourmet, Violet, and Old Jackal all did the same. After getting closer, including Su Xiao, the five of them stood in a circular formation.
"One, two, three, four. Hmm, four. That's enough for now."
Moonlight spoke in a low voice, his head slightly lowered, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Young man, you're still... too green."
Old Jackal sighed, looking at Moonlight with a hint of helplessness.
"Hahahaha, I can't take it. Let me laugh for a bit first."
Violet laughed coquettishly, even sitting down sideways on the ground.
"A perfect plan."
Gourmet also looked at Moonlight. Moonlight, who was just about to bare his fangs, froze.
"You... you guys."
Moonlight slapped his own head hard with one hand. After a few slaps, his mind, affected by his own ability, cleared a bit. He covered his face with one hand, lowered his head, his shoulders shaking. He was laughing at his own stupidity from a moment ago.
"So it seems, this nearby area is the hunters' initial teleportation point?"
Gourmet spoke. That was exactly the case. The four people Moonlight had gathered were all hunters.
"Four of you, I have a plan. How about we five temporarily cooperate, use this team as a base, and recruit other survivors?"
Moonlight spoke. Violet and Old Jackal exchanged glances. These two clearly knew each other beforehand.
"Kukulin, what do you think we should do next?"
Gourmet took off his shirt and flexed his right arm. Seeing this, Moonlight, Violet, and Old Jackal all became wary.
"Two of them are from Death Paradise. The old man is from Sanctuary Paradise."
Su Xiao glanced at Moonlight and Violet, then finally turned his gaze to Old Jackal.
"Great minds think alike. You take Moonlight. The remaining two are mine."
Gourmet revealed a somewhat neurotic smile. This aura already indicated which paradise's contractor he was from.
"No interest."
Su Xiao turned and walked into the bushes. Amu strode forward to clear the path.
"I'll kill all three. I'm hungry anyway. Cooperate later?"
"I'll consider it then."
Su Xiao left these words and walked away.
"See you then."
As soon as Gourmet finished speaking, his eyes turned brownish-yellow, and he grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. This madman didn't care whether the fight had any profit; he just felt annoyed.
"Three of you, I'll now... send you on your way."
Bang!
A sound of air being torn suddenly appeared. The sharp-toothed Gourmet was already standing beside Moonlight, holding a dripping head in his hand. The expression on the head was one of utter shock.
A spurt of blood shot from Moonlight's severed neck. The headless corpse fell.
Gourmet casually tossed the head in his hand behind him. Blood gathered in his palm, forming a bloody ball, which he threw into his mouth and chewed. He seemed to mutter something about it tasting bad.
"You look... very tender and juicy."
Gourmet's gaze turned to Violet. Violet turned and fled. She couldn't see any hope of victory.
Tree Arena, Fifty-Third Place, Frenzied Blood Gourmet. Faction: Reincarnation Paradise.