Chapter 75: Chewing Gum
Su Xiao held a plastic bottle about ten centimeters high in his hand, resembling a medicine bottle. It was actually a recovery-type food item.
[Yida Chewing Gum]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Quality: White
Type: Recovery Item
Flavor: Refreshing Strawberry (15 pieces)
Effect: Chew in the mouth, restores 15 mana points per minute, becomes ineffective after 5 minutes of chewing, max one piece per chew.
Rating: 10+
Description: Hey, your Yida. No, it's your Yida.
Price: 400 Paradise Coins
...
Su Xiao often wandered through the Trade Market and rarely saw items or food that restored mana. Even when he did encounter them, those things were exorbitantly priced.
This bottle of mana-restoring chewing gum was now priced at only 3,000 Paradise Coins. Perhaps the stall owner thought he had set a high price, since selling this gum back to Reincarnation Paradise only yielded 400 Paradise Coins. 3,000 was already several times that. It was unclear where this contractor had obtained the item; it might have been a reward from Reincarnation Paradise for passing a derivative world for the first time.
"Although the recovery amount is small, and mana isn't that useful, this gum..."
The stall owner had just started to praise his product when he received a notification.
[Your recovery-type food: Yida Chewing Gum has been successfully sold. You have gained 3,000 Paradise Coins.]
Upon receiving this notification, the stall owner was stunned.
"Is this thing valuable?"
The stall owner stared intently at Su Xiao, as if trying to discern any change in his expression.
Su Xiao didn't speak. He stood up and headed toward his Exclusive Room.
"Wait, this thing I..."
The stall owner's outstretched hand froze. He suddenly remembered that this was Reincarnation Paradise, not a street market. Once a transaction was successful, there was no going back, even if he regretted it.
"Don't judge an item's value by its rank."
Su Xiao left these words behind and walked away. The stall owner began to waver between anxiety and hope, but after seeing the substantial sum in his Reincarnation Mark, he felt much more at ease.
Su Xiao returned to his Exclusive Room, took out Dragon-Slaying Flash, and entered an empty room to begin his daily blade practice. As his rank increased, the size of his Exclusive Room had also expanded.
After several hours of blade practice, Su Xiao, drenched in sweat, took a shower and lay down on the bed to sleep. He needed to rest up and head to the Arena tomorrow morning to test his overall combat abilities.
Azure Steel Shadow had improved significantly, and Realm Severing Thread had also been enhanced.
The next morning, inside the Arena's rest pod, a semi-transparent screen floated in midair. As Su Xiao manipulated it, the screen drifted in front of him.
[Arena Contestant: Su Xiao.]
[Status: Good.]
[Rank: 105th (Second Rank).]
[Consecutive Wins: 186.]
[Top 10 Reward: Not obtained.]
...
Below were many other options, such as Match Opponent, Spectate, and View Second Rank Arena Leaderboard.
Su Xiao selected Match Opponent. At his current rank, finding an opponent wasn't easy.
[Matching opponent for the Hunter...]
[Hunter's current rank: 105th (Second Rank).]
[Matching...]
Su Xiao activated the disguise function. A crimson metal mask covered the lower half of his face, and his trench coat was slightly altered. Even if an acquaintance saw Su Xiao now, they might not recognize him.
Su Xiao waited a full ten minutes, but the screen still showed "Matching." Just as he was about to play a game to pass the time, a notification appeared.
[Match successful. The Hunter will be teleported to the arena in 5 seconds. Please prepare.]
After five seconds, the sensation of teleportation occurred.
Light and shadow flickered before Su Xiao's eyes. When his vision cleared, he was standing on a 60x60 meter square arena platform. The platform was surrounded by a transparent energy barrier, and beyond that was a tiered spectator stand.
For arena matches within the top 200 of the Second Rank, the spectator seats were always full.
"We've waited so long, finally we get to see a match within the top 200."
"No way, one of them seems to be a tank-type."
"Tanks fighting in the arena are so slow and boring. No entertainment value at all."
Su Xiao's opponent drew dissatisfaction from the audience. He was a man wearing a tight bio-suit that made his muscles look sharply defined, with a half-man-tall black iron canister strapped to his back.
The Iron Can Man seemed accustomed to the audience's reaction. With his ability to break into the top 200 of the Second Rank Arena, he didn't care about others' opinions.
"Hey, the one with the blade. Fighting me might make you feel irritated, frustrated, or other unpleasant sensations. Sorry about that."
The Iron Can Man slapped the canister behind him, and a faint green poison gas began to spread.
Su Xiao didn't look at his opponent. Instead, he glanced at the back rows of the audience, where there was a familiar face.
"Xia, you actually didn't go guard that crappy restaurant today? You have time to watch the arena with me? How rare."
A girl with long, straight black hair sat beside Xia. Although she looked aloof, she was actually lively and youthful, holding a bucket of popcorn in her hand.
"What do you mean 'crappy restaurant'? My restaurant's business is great."
"Right, three customers a day. Business is booming."
"Three customers... are still customers."
"You're so stubborn. With your cooking skills, if you just changed locations, business would explode. Is your zodiac sign the Stubborn Donkey?"
"I've never heard of such a strange zodiac sign."
Xia smiled. The girl beside her was one of her few friends.
"The match is about to start. Xia, who do you favor?"
The long-haired girl glanced at Su Xiao, then at the Iron Can Man. "I favor the Iron Can Man. Look at those muscles, definitely tough."
"Who knows? But his opponent gives me a familiar feeling..."
Xia looked at Su Xiao on the arena platform.
"Miss Xia, don't daydream. These are all big shots in the top 200 of the Second Rank. Little fish like us can't possibly have any connection with them."
"Maybe you're right."
Xia shook her head. Although she remembered Su Xiao being strong, she didn't think he was strong enough to reach the top 200 of the Second Rank Arena.
[Match Start!]
Four large characters appeared on the arena platform. Xia clenched her fists. This was her first time watching a battle at this level.
As the match began, Su Xiao drew Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist. Azure Steel Shadow energy enveloped the blade, turning it into a lightning-edged weapon.
The Iron Can Man spread his arms, and poison gas rapidly expanded around him. "Suffering: Calamity."
"Damn it, he's just farting poison gas!"
"What's there to watch with this! Refund our Paradise Coins!"
Curses erupted from the audience. They had paid Paradise Coins, and now nearly half the arena was shrouded in a hazy green.
The poison gas surged toward Su Xiao from the front. He took a deep breath.
Shave!
Whoosh~
Su Xiao's figure suddenly vanished from its spot. A straight-line channel was cut through the green poison gas. The wind pressure from his high-speed charge dispersed some of the gas, showing just how terrifying his speed was.
When Su Xiao reappeared, he was right in front of the Iron Can Man, his long blade held to the side.
The blade cut through the air, producing a piercing whine.
The Iron Can Man's eyes widened. The enemy's speed surprised him, but fortunately, he was an endurance-type contractor. Taking a few hits wouldn't be a problem.
Would it really be no problem? Perhaps.
The edge of Dragon-Slashing Flash sliced into the bio-suit. The suit, which the Iron Can Man had placed great hope in, was instantly breached.
Pfft!
Blood splashed several meters high. The Iron Can Man's mouth gaped open. Although he didn't have time to check the damage value of that strike, the searing pain in his chest told him that his muscle groups and ribs had been completely severed. Now, his vulnerable internal organs were exposed beneath the enemy's blade.