REINCARNATION PARADISE

Leaving the cold drink shop, Su Xiao walked along the streets of Reincarnation Paradise, deep in thought.

Based on the information provided by Xiluo, his first task was to head to the center of Reincarnation Paradise to learn about the dozen or so key buildings.

He needed to familiarize himself with Reincarnation Paradise, then strengthen his attributes, and after that, spend the Paradise Coins he had earned.

At the moment, he had a total of 8,400 Paradise Coins. Initially, he had more, but after spending over 3,000 coins to heal his injuries and paying Xiluo 50 coins, this was what he had left.

From his initial exploration, Su Xiao had already gained an understanding of the value of Paradise Coins.

Most new contractees earn around 1,000 to 2,000 Paradise Coins after their first derivative world mission, which is usually only enough to buy a weapon.

However, the derivative world Su Xiao had experienced was exceptionally dangerous, which allowed him to earn a larger sum—over 10,000 coins.

As Su Xiao walked through the streets of Reincarnation Paradise, watching the various contractees with different appearances, he found himself unexpectedly liking this place.

Reincarnation Paradise was like a primordial forest, where its harshness stripped away the facade of everyone, revealing their true nature. Though cruel, it was simple.

If there was conflict between individuals, they could settle it by determining life and death. The Arena in Reincarnation Paradise existed precisely for such situations.

After walking for about an hour, Su Xiao arrived at the central area.

Due to the fact that he hadn't hidden his appearance, many people glanced at him along the way, but no reckless individuals tried to pick a fight.

There are a few reasons someone might not hide their appearance: they could be a newcomer, or they might be a powerful monster who didn't care to hide.

Unbeknownst to Su Xiao, he was both: a newcomer and a powerful monster.

The Shadow of Extinction inheritance had increased his attributes by a total of 14 points.

Earning attribute points wasn't easy. Most contractees had to complete 4 to 6 worlds to barely gain 14 points—and that's only with good luck.

Upon arriving in the central area of Reincarnation Paradise, a dozen grand buildings came into view.

Unlike the worker-operated shops, these buildings were much larger, standing out like tall cranes among a crowd of smaller birds.

[Attribute Enhancement Hall], [Equipment Enhancement Hall], [Trial Ground], [Arena]…

Su Xiao could only see these four buildings clearly; the others were obscured by mist, likely because he hadn't gained access to them yet.

He directly entered the [Attribute Enhancement Hall]. As soon as he stepped through the doors, his vision blurred. When he regained clarity, he found himself inside a steel chamber only a few square meters wide.

The sound of machinery echoed around him, and a screen appeared before him.

[Welcome to the Attribute Enhancement Chamber. Please pay the activation fee. Activation fee: 100 Paradise Coins.]

This process didn't surprise Su Xiao. He already knew that everyone who entered the Attribute Enhancement Hall would be randomly teleported to an enhancement chamber, where they would have to pay a fee to use it.

After paying 100 Paradise Coins, the screen in front of him displayed the following information:

[Strength: 12 - 1 (Equipment bonuses temporarily disabled)]

[Agility: 10]

[Vitality: 6]

[Intelligence: 12]

[Charisma: 3]

[The Hunter may allocate attribute points. Available attribute points: 4.]

[Detected that the Hunter's affinity attributes are Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. The Hunter is advised to prioritize enhancing these attributes.]

Su Xiao wasn't surprised by the notification.

After inheriting the Shadow of Extinction, he had received a message that once his three affinity attributes reached 20 points, he would experience some sort of transformation.

Every contractee chose their own affinity attributes. For example, melee fighters often chose Strength or Agility, while mages focused on Intelligence.

However, Su Xiao's case was unique. After inheriting the Shadow of Extinction, his affinity attributes became fixed.

There was an inconvenient aspect to this: the difference between his three affinity attributes could not exceed three points. Otherwise, higher attributes could not be enhanced within the Attribute Enhancement Hall.

This severely limited Su Xiao's rapid growth. If he could focus on just one attribute, it would quickly reach 20 points.

But there was also an advantage. As long as his attributes kept pace with other contractees of his level, he would definitely be among the strongest.

Su Xiao had 4 attribute points to allocate. After some thought, he allocated 1 point to Strength and the remaining 3 points to Agility, balancing his attributes.

[Enhancement beginning. The process will involve intense pain. Would you like to activate the free anesthesia function?]

"Do not activate it." Su Xiao replied decisively. Xiluo had casually mentioned before that it was best not to use anesthesia during attribute enhancement, as it might reduce the effectiveness of the enhancement.

Most contractees, however, opted for anesthesia, as the pain during enhancement was described as unbearable.

Su Xiao knew that to become stronger than others, he had to endure things others couldn't.

As the enhancement chamber activated, a pain that reached deep into his bones surged through his body.

"No wonder people choose anesthesia," Su Xiao muttered as his skin turned red and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. The feeling of enhancement was, to say the least, incredibly intense.

...

Ten minutes later, a sweat-drenched Su Xiao exited the Attribute Enhancement Hall.

Though the process had been excruciating, after enduring the initial wave of pain, the gradual feeling of becoming stronger was incredibly satisfying.

He didn't know how others felt, but he enjoyed the sensation of growing stronger after enduring hardship.

Only power gained through suffering was reliable, and he had no intention of ever using the anesthesia function. Not today, not ever.

After the enhancement, Su Xiao's base attributes were as follows: Strength 12, Agility 13, Intelligence 12.

With the bonus from [Dead Wife's Pendant], Su Xiao's Strength also reached 13, matching his Agility.

Though he was now much stronger, Su Xiao wasn't fully satisfied.

His sudden increase in attributes left him feeling uncoordinated, even making his walking awkward.

His consciousness hadn't yet adapted to his now stronger body, which would require a lot of training to fix—there were no shortcuts.

But that wasn't a major concern. Reincarnation Paradise's [Trial Ground] was the perfect solution for that.

Looking at the [Trial Ground] in front of him, Su Xiao shook his head.

Since returning from the derivative world, he hadn't had a proper rest. In that world, he had to constantly be on guard against danger, making peaceful rest impossible.

Activating the mark on his arm, Su Xiao disappeared from where he stood, reappearing in his personal room—one of the benefits provided by Reincarnation Paradise. He could return to his personal room at any time while inside the Paradise.

The room's comfortable temperature quickly lulled Su Xiao into drowsiness. He lay down on the soft floor, and within five minutes, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The constant tension in the derivative world had finally worn him out.

(End of Chapter)