Chapter 1: A Gathering of Gods
After the contractors on our side who were heading to the Treeborn World had all arrived, the spaceship's hatch closed. The cockpit door at the front opened, and a drunken old man staggered out. He walked with a floating gait toward the rear of the ship, opened the tail hatch, belched, and looked around with a puzzled expression.
Just then, a flight attendant who looked like a rabbit spirit ran out of the cockpit, shouting anxiously, "Captain, where are you going? The cockpit is over here!"
"Hmm?"
The drunken old man belched again. Under the flight attendant's support, he returned to the cockpit. Witnessing this scene, the contractors present looked solemn, all feeling that this captain seemed unreliable.
Amidst the crowd's hesitant mood, the spaceship started. After taking off, it paused for a moment, then suddenly accelerated.
Contrary to expectations of turbulence, the ride was as smooth as an old dog. The old captain might have seemed unreliable, but he flew the ship steadily. After completing the initial gravitational acceleration, no further bumps were felt.
Unconsciously, the roar of the spaceship diminished. The hatch opened, and a feeling of lightness appeared—this was due to slightly reduced gravity. A space transit station was like this, with gravity slightly lower than places like Earth or the Void.
"Brother Bai Ye, why don't we..."
The Three Brothers of National Football were about to propose cooperation when they noticed Su Xiao wasn't looking at them but walking down the ramp. Though the Three Brothers of National Football were goofy, having fought their way to the Eighth Rank, they had a keen sense of danger.
"Big Brother, why isn't Brother Bai Ye acknowledging us?"
The third brother scratched his head, looking a bit dejected.
"Two possibilities. Either he's about to do something everyone will hate, or he's here to settle a grudge with someone."
The second brother of National Football was the most composed. Hearing this, the eldest brother silently approved and said, "Actually, not cooperating is fine. We're all here to grab resources. When the time comes, we'll each rely on our own abilities. No awkwardness."
The Three Brothers of National Football blocked the exit, scanning the crowd. The others looked at them in confusion.
"Everyone, until we meet again!"
The Three Brothers of National Football struck different bodybuilding poses. With a tearing sound, their clothes shredded into strips and flew away. The outfit destruction was successful. The dark force—Three Brothers of National Football—had arrived.
Three muscular men wearing only skimpy triangular briefs walked down the ramp. What caught everyone's eye was that the eldest brother's briefs were purple, exceptionally flashy.
Gulu covered her face with one hand. She suddenly felt that being beaten by these three guys at a lower rank would be a lifelong shame. If someone ever invented a meme like "You got beaten by National Football," she would be socially dead.
After getting off the spaceship, they were on a large open area where several ships were docked. Some bore marks, others bore engravings.
To the west, the largest ship was docked. It was dark brown, and on its metal exterior, root-like protrusions formed the shape of a ψ symbol, representing the Void Tree.
Contractors from various paradises were gradually heading toward that largest ship. Su Xiao took out the ticket he had just obtained, which indicated "A-01." There was no specific seat number. The ship had multiple cabins, from A-1 to F-12.
Before Su Xiao had taken a few steps, he sensed a certain aura, making him pause. This was... the scent of prey.
A figure draped in a white robe with a white hood walked past Su Xiao, overtaking him. The inner lining of the white robe was red, and around the neck hung a pure black pendant. The main part of the pendant was a twisted cross, as if screaming, agonized souls were about to burst out of it.
Su Xiao sensed that even if this wasn't an Ancient God, it was definitely from the Ancient God system.
As if sensing Su Xiao's gaze, the figure who had just passed him stopped. She turned her head with slight suspicion, but after carefully sensing Su Xiao's aura, the corner of her mouth curled into a smile. Without saying anything, she walked on.
"Boss, who's that?"
"Not sure, but the aura feels familiar."
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang barked, meaning that the scent on that person also felt familiar to him, but he couldn't identify whose scent it was.
"Hey hey, who's this?"
A vaguely familiar voice came. Su Xiao looked up toward the sound. Seeing this person, his eyes narrowed.
"What the hell!"
Baha felt his brain buzzing. Even when fighting Grey Gentleman and Shenfu, he hadn't felt this way, but this person was different.
"Bai Ye, looks like our cooperation can continue?"
The figure standing at the boarding hatch spoke with a smile. He was wearing a suit, his head was a skull inlaid with rice-sized black gems, and deep within the eye sockets were profound pupil flames. The newcomer was Wood from the Devil Clan.
The quotas for entering the Treeborn World were shared by the Void and the Transcendent Primordial World. The Void forces had a total of 5 entry slots, and the Transcendent Primordial World had 3.
In terms of combat power, Su Xiao wasn't afraid of Wood, even though the other's methods were unpredictable and could even deliver "dimensional strikes." But that wasn't the point.
A person like Wood couldn't be judged solely by his combat strength. His danger level was comprehensive, and he was skilled at scheming and backstabbing, plus he had a "wild father" on him.
The Abyssal Jar hadn't been sent away in the World of Paintings. Wood coming to the Treeborn World this time, as sure as shit, was to send away the Devil Clan's wild father.
Last time, the Abyssal Jar had been roughed up quite a bit by Wood. After leaving the World of Paintings, when the teleportation ended, Wood had returned to the Devil Clan's territory.
The Abyssal Jar had fought two fierce battles with the Mad Growth Chaos, showing signs of weakness. After returning to the Devil Clan's territory, it immediately gave the Devil Clan a full-on tonic, nearly sending them into shock.
Even so, the old devils of the Devil Clan hadn't given up. After discussing with Wood, they decided to secure an entry slot to the Treeborn World and let Wood send away the father one more time.
The reason they still chose Wood was that the old devils had seen his previous performance. Even if Wood ultimately failed, they were willing to trust him once more.
The Devil Clan had realized a truth: to send away a wild father, you had to find someone even fiercer. Undoubtedly, the Void Tree was much fiercer than the Abyssal Jar. So the Devil Clan set their strategy: launch a fierce assault on the Void Tree's world.
Thus, Wood once again became the hope of the entire clan.
Looking at Wood, whose green pupil flames narrowed, Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged. Wood's trouble was still the Abyssal Jar, while his own troubles this time were Grey Gentleman, Shenfu, and Xianji.
This opportunity for cooperation should definitely be seized. Let this "good teammate" help share the hatred.
Thinking this, Su Xiao calmly stepped forward and said, "Of course, our cooperation can continue."
Su Xiao walked into Cabin A-1. It was about a hundred square meters, with several four-seat tables and benches along the sides.
There were dozens of people in the cabin. As soon as he entered, Su Xiao saw many familiar faces. Among them, one person he had met a few times in the previous world.
The gentle-tempered Sacred Poem was quietly talking with her teammates. Noticing someone else entering the cabin, she instinctively looked up, then froze, a sense of self-isolation rising within her.
The Sun, the Legion, the hundreds of thousands of troops, the Sun Lord, the vassal clans being beaten into submission, then the pursuit and interception of her and her teammates. After the humans were subdued, more pursuit and interception. In the final days, they had hidden at the bottom of a hundred-meter-deep lake, using oxygen tanks to survive the last few days.
Why was this? Because in that world, even the Aberrant Beasts had been beaten into submission. All bird-type Aberrant Beasts searched around the clock for contractors not from the Reincarnation Paradise. Once they found one, within an hour, any one of the human, vassal, beast, or Sun faction armies would sweep in.
These armies would be at least 30,000 strong. If they encountered a tough opponent, they would immediately call for reinforcements.
From the First Rank to the Eighth Rank, Sacred Poem had faced setbacks, but she had never been beaten into self-isolation like this. In Serl Star, Su Xiao had completely broken her.
This was beyond her comprehension. How could a contractor who had only been in that world for about ten days create a legion?
"Sister Sacred Poem, Sister Sacred Poem! What's wrong? You look pale."
"It's... nothing."
Sacred Poem pressed a hand to her forehead. She didn't want to talk now. Her head ached. She wanted some peace.
Besides Sacred Poem, there were also familiar faces from the Death Paradise: Scale Dragon Alec and Water Brother. The former was fine—Su Xiao could handle him before, let alone now. As for Water Brother, that guy was inexplicably strong in contractor combat.
Let's just say he was the man who had killed to godhood in the World of Paintings, blind in eyes but not in heart.
Solomon and Gulu didn't need much introduction. They had met before. What surprised Su Xiao slightly was that the Crow Woman from Arcane Eternal Star had also come.
Crow Woman was still in her usual attire: a black tight-fitting suit, pitch-black eye sockets, white outer rings around her pupils, and deep black central pupils, so dark they were captivating.
In the World of Paintings, Su Xiao indeed wasn't a match for Crow Woman. But now, the tables had turned. That was the advantage of being in the Reincarnation Paradise. Although the risks in mission worlds were enormous, the rate of becoming stronger was faster.
Noticing Su Xiao approaching, Crow Woman winked at him with her left eye. Her expression showed no sign of wanting to kill him.
Remember, last time she had been schemed against by Su Xiao, Zuiyasi, and Wood. The second-place reward she had obtained didn't even see the light of day before it fell into the hands of Su Xiao and his two companions.
As the saying goes, a dog that bites doesn't bark. At this moment, Crow Woman not only acted like an old acquaintance but also had a hint of seductiveness in her movements and expressions, making people even more wary.
Seeing Crow Woman, Wood's pupil flames condensed. When he had returned to the Void last time, he had nearly died at her hands. Just as Crow Woman was about to deliver the killing blow, Mage Sage Ophelia, the Fierce Wind King, and others rushed to help, not only saving Wood but also scolding Crow Woman, demanding she apologize to Wood.
Mage Sage Ophelia and the Fierce Wind King weren't afraid of a junior like Wood, but they couldn't be sure that killing him wouldn't pass on the Abyssal Jar. If the Abyssal Jar latched onto Arcane Eternal Star, the spellcasters would have a hard time.
"Miss, would you mind giving up your seat?"
Wood spoke. There were plenty of empty seats around, but he specifically asked Crow Woman to move.
"You're ruthless."
Crow Woman moved to the next table. Su Xiao and Wood sat down, forming a table with Crow Woman.
Not far away, two men and one woman were also sitting at a table: Grey Gentleman, Shenfu, and Xianji.
To enter the Treeborn World, they had to take this ship. It was usually completely sealed, and only this ship could enter.
Grey Gentleman took off his top hat, revealing his gray-black hair. He smiled and nodded at Su Xiao. Shenfu, sitting next to him, raised a hand, still looking like a kind old priest. Finally, Xianji glanced at Su Xiao and clicked her tongue.
"Xianji, that's very rude."
Grey Gentleman picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, and took a sip. His attitude was calm and friendly, but he was also the one with the darkest methods.
Just then, Su Xiao spoke, "Wood, since we're cooperating, let's be clear about our respective goals."
"Well..."
Wood looked at the table of Grey Gentleman's trio, then at Crow Woman across from him, and at the dozen or so violators glaring at him. He suddenly felt that cooperating with Su Xiao this time was a loss.
"Boss, look at what you're saying. Wood and we already cooperated in the World of Paintings. Last time, we even teamed up to screw over Crow Woman. We're all on the same side. Wood's goal is definitely that jar."
Baha spoke. It had to be said, it hadn't followed Su Xiao for nothing. This was a beautiful stab.
Hearing Baha's words, Grey Gentleman turned his gaze to Crow Woman. Noticing the anger in her brows and the change in her aura, he roughly confirmed that Wood had indeed cooperated with Su Xiao to screw over Crow Woman.
Grey Gentleman's gaze shifted to Wood. He smiled and nodded at Wood.
Wood could clearly feel that the hostility toward him from those around had increased. But aside from being a bit annoyed, he wasn't afraid of these violators.
No wonder Wood was like this. He dared to carry the Abyssal Jar on him, so why would he fear these violators?
The violators didn't yet know that being hostile to Wood would inevitably involve a trace of karma with the Abyssal Jar, with a danger level no less than giving Kaiser a foot massage.
Realizing he had been set up, Wood's expression remained calm. Similar situations had happened many times in the World of Paintings.
Wood initially observed Grey Gentleman's trio and locked onto Xianji. Xianji looked like a combat type.
"Beautiful lady, meeting is fate. I am Wood of the Devil Clan."
"?"
Xianji looked at Wood with confusion, not understanding what he was up to.
"Please don't laugh. Our Demon Clan has a custom: when meeting a beautiful lady, a gentleman should give a small gift to leave a good impression."
Wood hesitated for a moment, then pulled out the Abyssal Jar from his painting. Giving the gift wasn't the key. Wood was sure she wouldn't accept it. The trap was buried on the other side.
"This is a toy I made. I don't know your preferences, but I'd like to give it to you as a gift."
"?"
Xianji was even more confused. She looked at the black clay jar in Wood's hand. The lid had a few fine cracks. It didn't seem special, but she vaguely felt something was inside. It really seemed like a small gift. An inexplicable attraction came from it.
"You must be curious about what's inside. I'll open it now..."
Wood made a move to lift the lid of the Abyssal Jar. A top hat immediately blocked Xianji's view.
"Don't look."
Grey Gentleman's smile had disappeared. Xianji didn't ask further and stopped looking at Wood. She had almost fallen for it. This Devil Clan member's methods were insidious and hard to guard against.
Was Wood deliberately making enemies? Not at all. He was telling Grey Gentleman's trio that he, Wood, wasn't to be trifled with. If they really wanted to fight to the death, they'd better think twice.
"Broken jar."
Crow Woman remembered being locked in solitary confinement for half a month by the Fierce Wind King because of this broken jar. Her anger flared up.
Su Xiao, Grey Gentleman, Shenfu, Xianji, Crow Woman, Wood, Solomon, Sacred Poem, Water Brother—just these people alone determined one thing: this time in the Treeborn World, it wasn't just gods fighting; it was a bunch of gods in a chaotic melee.
And these were only the ones who had revealed their identities. There were still some troublesome characters hiding in the shadows.
In this seemingly peaceful but actually murderous atmosphere, the spaceship's hatch closed. The participants from Cabin A-1 to Cabin F-12 were too many, conservatively over a thousand. As the rumors said, there was a problem with the entry qualifications, and a large number of violators had mixed in.
This was likely Grey Gentleman's doing. How he managed it was unclear, but Su Xiao guessed it might be because he had used other "alt accounts" to dominate the top ten of the Tree Arena at the Seventh Rank, using that to operate.
The spaceship jolted several times. After traveling for nearly half an hour, a notification from the Void Tree appeared.
[Notification: You have entered the Treeborn World. To avoid unfair large-scale chaotic battles among participants upon initial entry, all participants will be deployed via drop pods.]
[Drop pod usage fee: 100 Soul Coins (no additional fee for followers or permanent summons).]
[Note: Hunters may also choose not to use a drop pod and instead jump from the hatch. This entry method is free.]
...
Su Xiao paid 100 Soul Coins and received a metal card stamped with the number 16. At the same time, the hatch opened.
"So expensive, 100 Soul Coins."
Gulu spoke. Although she was relatively wealthy, she couldn't help complaining.
Up front, a drop pod with the number 1 on it extended vertically. The metal floor panel below opened, ready for the drop.
Seeing this, Solomon and Xianji both stood up. Xianji looked suspiciously at the number 1 metal card in her hand, then smiled. As expected of the madman from the Reincarnation Paradise, he even wanted to snatch the drop pod.
Just as Xianji was about to test how strong the Reincarnation Paradise's mage was, Solomon jumped out of the hatch.
'!!!'
All the contractors were stunned. In an unclear situation, he couldn't even spare 100 Soul Coins. This great mage was too stingy.
Was Solomon stingy? No. He was poor, very poor. The Reincarnation Paradise had three great poverties: technique, necromancy, and mage.
The Reincarnation Paradise's three great poverties, and Solomon had two of them. He was strong, but also very poor. His total assets were now 38 Soul Coins.
Sell some items to the Reincarnation Paradise in an emergency? Ridiculous. Anything sellable had long been sold. At one point, he was so poor that the gems on the Death Lord's Sword were pried off and sold.
For a long time after that, the Hell Knight dared not summon its warhorse, afraid that its owner, Solomon, would be so poor that he'd sell the horse.
Su Xiao wasn't surprised that Solomon jumped ship. If Solomon had asked to borrow 100 Soul Coins, lending them would have been no problem. But if he didn't ask, staying silent or quietly walking away was a sign of respect. Not everyone wants to be helped. Sometimes, what seems like enthusiastic help is just satisfying one's own generosity while touching on something the other person least wants to mention.
A strong man with a limp—does he really want someone to help him walk? No. He's already lame. Don't actively emphasize it. He has his own crutch and is strong. Treat him normally. Sometimes, respect is more appropriate than help.
One by one, participants entered the drop pods. Soon it was number 16. Su Xiao walked into the drop pod alone. Bubu Wang was number 32, Baha was 33, Amu was 54, and Beini was 61.
Su Xiao entered the drop pod. The pod, like a huge metal coffin, closed and was randomly dropped.
Air friction against the metal exterior of the drop pod. Inside, Su Xiao could hear a hissing sound.
After falling for about a minute, Su Xiao felt the pod's speed slow. Despite good sealing, he still heard a loud thud.
Pfft~
Steam dispersed. The drop pod opened. As Su Xiao stepped out, he saw metal supports extend from inside, and a mechanical arm held a metal syringe.
[You have received an Adaptive Abnormal State Relief Potion (injecting this potion can greatly alleviate the effects and duration of "Abnormal States").]
[Note: All "Abnormal States" in this world have very high judgment ranks, such as True Poison, Soul Freeze, Heat Burn, Dark Curse, Weakness, etc. After suffering such abnormal states, you need to find corresponding remedies as soon as possible.]
[Warning: Do not go to the "Soul Arena" without obtaining the specified items.]
...
Su Xiao now understood why using the drop pod cost as much as 100 Soul Coins. The main expense was this [Adaptive Abnormal State Relief Potion].
Entering this world, obtaining a potion for abnormal states at a not-too-expensive price indicated one thing: the "Abnormal States" in this world were very troublesome.
[Entering World: Treeborn World.]
World Difficulty: Lv.70～???
World Source: 0%.
World Introduction: In memory of the civilization that once perished here.
[Yada, it is a name for a country and a civilization.]
[Here, there were once only trees and darkness. Countless towering giant trees and the darkness that shrouded above. All things grew in the darkness. They were accustomed to it, embraced it, loved it. Until one day, a plant broke through the soil. It grew, bloomed, the flowers withered, and finally, it sprayed seeds into the darkness—seeds with a faint light.]
[The Yada people first discovered this anomaly. The light was faint, but born in darkness, they found it dazzling. It frightened them, made them reject it, and they regarded it as heresy. The world should be pitch black. There should be no light. Until a Yada man gathered all his courage, cupped the light seed in his hands, and saw his own grimy hands, looking so dirty under the light.]
[Constant attempts, failures, attempts, failures. The Yada people used the collected light seeds to build a settlement with light. Unfortunately, light always fades, and so do the light seeds. Until one day, the light went out again.]
[The Yada people tried various methods, but neither fire, lightning, nor glowing stones could dispel the world's darkness. Only light could. But the light seeds could no longer emit even a faint glow.]
[The Yada people never gave up. They experimented with various methods until a Yada man crushed a light seed and mixed it into his blood. He glowed and became the first secret cultivator. Strictly speaking, he pioneered the prototype of the Light Secret Art.]
[Generation after generation of development and progress, the Yada people finally ushered in the Age of Light. When they reached their peak, they could no longer tolerate the darkness in the sky. They had to conquer it.]
[On the eve of the decisive battle against the darkness, a Yada man discovered a secret, or rather a tragedy. The Yada people were born from darkness, a race chasing the light, like moths to a flame. If they dispelled the darkness above, they might cease to exist. But if they didn't dispel the darkness, the light would eventually fade. The Light Secret Art had reached its peak, and the next step was gradual decline.]
[Defeat the darkness and embrace the light?]
[Or abandon the light and embrace the darkness?]
[Yada Era Year 01: More than half of the Yada people decided that their civilization would not return to darkness. Everything grand and vast they had built must bathe in the light.]
[The Light Secret Art pierced the sky. The darkness melted like snow and ice. Sunlight shone on the land. The Yada civilization... ended here.]
[The towering trees collapsed under the sunlight. One tree fell, and all things were born. The Yada people conquered the darkness, and the intelligent plant and animal lives enjoyed their blessings, regarding them as supreme beings. The Ancient Tree Men inherited their knowledge, the Vine Clan inherited their persistence and diligence, the Fungus Tribe inherited their creativity, the Tree Elf Clan inherited their Light Secret Art, and the Ghost Clan inherited their darkness.]
[The darkness receded, bringing the rise of many races. This is... the territory of plant life and supernatural life!]
Hunter's current location: Yada Ancient Capital (Central Continent).
Initial Tree Status: Pending activation.
Kill Ranking Status: Pending activation.
Main Mission Status: Pending activation (estimated to activate in 10 minutes).
[World, begin.]
...
The world introduction this time wasn't complicated. It mainly introduced a light-chasing civilization that once existed in the Treeborn World.
Now, that civilization had perished, but it left behind many grand buildings and the Light Secret Art, among other things.
A breeze with a hint of plant scent blew by. Inhaling it felt refreshing. This was a world untouched by pollution.
This didn't mean it was safe. There were intelligent plant and animal lives here. The former, to some extent, were very troublesome.
Su Xiao looked around. Everywhere he saw ruins. From the weathering of these stone structures, they had been around for some time.
He wasn't in a hurry to reunite with Bubu Wang, Baha, and the others. Understanding the current situation was more important. Su Xiao wanted to go catch Grey Gentleman right now and catch him off guard.
Just as Su Xiao was about to take out an item from his storage space, a mark lit up on the drop pod behind him.
Seeing this mark, Su Xiao knew that Grey Gentleman was guarding against him sneaking past at the start. This was what an old schemer feared most. Even though Grey Gentleman had invested heavily in the Treeborn World, at the initial entry, these setups were hard to activate. If Su Xiao charged in recklessly at this moment, Grey Gentleman would be very passive.
Su Xiao controlled the Banishment to fly out, trying to neutralize the enemy's means as quickly as possible.
Buzz!
A bright light burst forth. The next instant, the center of the light was pierced by the Banishment. Unfortunately, this thing couldn't be interrupted by attacks, at least not at this stage. It would have to enter the next stage to have a chance of being interrupted.
Array diagrams, each about 2 meters in diameter, appeared around him. All were spatial array diagrams, not for teleportation, but for the easier-to-operate summoning arrays.
Su Xiao pressed one hand to the ground. A shockwave composed of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy spread outward, causing more than half of the summoning arrays to collapse.
Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He had initially thought it was a high-power explosive. To avoid being ambushed, he hadn't used his blade to cut but had used the Banishment to destroy, while being ready to activate the [Drifting Bait] at any time.
With the [Drifting Bait], this super-strong survival item, Su Xiao could handle such situations much more calmly. Thanks to Molei's "free sponsorship."
In the overgrown ancient capital, the area was relatively open, with only a few half-collapsed stone walls and pillars around.
Nearly a hundred figures surrounded him, forming an encirclement. Grey Gentleman had originally planned to bring over two hundred violators to besiege Su Xiao. Even though Su Xiao had interrupted, there were still nearly a hundred violators present.
"So calm. No wonder you're the Night of Decapitation. But... do you have any last words?"
A man with a ponytail crouched on a broken stone pillar, smiling at Su Xiao. This guy had squinty eyes.
"Don't waste words with him. We still need to go back and report to Grey Gentleman."
"Even if Grey Gentleman is in charge now, using personal grudges to have us gang up on one person is too much like a lackey move."
"Lackey move? Sphinx died at this guy's hands. He's killed at least a few hundred violators. Taking him out first benefits all of us."
"Stop talking. Let's fight!"
A burly man over 2.5 meters tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, clenched his fist and pounded his palm, creating a sonic boom.
Su Xiao looked around. His previous strategy of improving his abilities was correct, but he really hadn't expected such a warm welcome upon entering the Treeborn World.
Clang~
The long blade was drawn. Su Xiao hadn't fought much in Serl Star. From the looks of it, he could have a good fight now, just in time to test his newly mastered Shadow Demon Blade ability, the continuous kill.
Boom!
Blood energy burst outward. The few violators standing at the front instinctively stepped back. The ponytail man, who had been crouching on the stone pillar with a smile, suddenly turned serious. The feeling of about to siege a humanoid boss made him uneasy.
As a violator who had reached his current strength, the ponytail man naturally adhered to a cautious attitude. He chose to investigate Su Xiao's information. To his surprise, although the judgment was overwhelming, the detection results weren't as detailed as expected.
When he saw that one of the detected attributes was Charm -12, the ponytail man couldn't help but sneer inwardly. That charm was too low, even negative.
But the ponytail man was more amazed, amazed that someone could have negative charm. However, when he saw the "Category" in the information, his heart sank.
The categories of contractors, hunters, arbiters, etc., were certified by the world's notary, the Void Tree, and then marked. For example, a normal contractor's category would be: Human/Contractor.
The reason the ponytail man felt uneasy was that in the Void Tree's certification, Su Xiao's category was:
Human/Hunter/Boss-Level Unit.