Return and Rewards

Glass shards sprayed as Su Xiao charged into the corridor, adjusting his center of gravity in mid-air to slash at the King of the Goa Kingdom standing before him.

The King had his back to Su Xiao and had not noticed him at all, his face frozen in an expression of utter bewilderment.

A brilliant flash of the blade cut through the air, the moonlight lending a poignant beauty to the strike as the sharp edge whistled through the air.

"Puchi."

Su Xiao's blade sliced through the King's waist, sending blood spraying into the air to form droplets that shattered upon hitting the floor or walls.

This single strike had cut the King in half.

While still in mid-air, the King looked down at his two legs on the ground with a face full of shock and confusion.

The King suddenly felt that those two legs looked somewhat familiar.

Thud. The King's upper body hit the ground, and the ensuing agony felt as if it were about to swallow him whole.

His mouth hung wide open, and just as the King was about to scream, Su Xiao's second strike arrived.

It was just as fast, accurate, and ruthless as the first; the blade swept past, and the head rolled away.

"Mission, complete."

With a light flick to clear the blood from his blade, Su Xiao had assassinated a king single-handedly and without a scratch, all within a world filled with 'monsters.'

To achieve such a feat, both nerve and courage were indispensable.

[You have killed the King of the Goa Kingdom, Philip Herbert.]

[Philip Herbert was a mission target; no World Source can be obtained. You have currently obtained 8.9% of the World Source.]

[Your talent 'Spirit Eater' has been activated. Permanently increasing mana by 2 points. Current mana: 93 points.]

After the King died, a white Treasure Chest floated above his corpse.

Having already opened several white Treasure Chests, Su Xiao chose to open it immediately.

[You have opened the Treasure Chest (white) and obtained the following items:]

[You have obtained World Tree Ring.]

A ring appeared in Su Xiao's hand; it was entirely transparent, as if crafted from some kind of crystal.

[World Tree Ring]

Quality: White~???

Rating: ???

Description: This is a ring crafted from Adam Wood. Do not underestimate it, for its material comes from the very core of the Adam Wood, and the Adam Tree can also be called the Tree of the World, the fulcrum of the One Piece World.

The ring had no attributes, its quality was merely white, and the description was vague. Su Xiao tossed it directly into his Storage Space, intending to study it later.

"Ah~~~!"

A scream rang out; it was the Queen.

Su Xiao frowned deeply; the screaming would attract other enemies.

He lunged forward with rapid steps, ending the scream with a single slash to the throat.

Being merciful to an enemy is an act of extreme stupidity, and Su Xiao understood this well.

Once someone was classified as an enemy, he would never show mercy.

Indecisive people are not suited for combat, and even less suited for surviving in Reincarnation Paradise.

[Hunter has completed the main mission: Assassinate the King of the 'Goa Kingdom'.]

[Main mission difficulty: Lv.3. World difficulty: Lv.6. Hunter's exclusive trial successful.]

[Hunter identity officially unlocked. Hunter missions enabled (will be issued in the next world).]

[Main mission complete. The Hunter will depart this world in 30 seconds to return to Reincarnation Paradise. Please prepare accordingly.]

It was over. After enduring countless dangers, Su Xiao had finally completed his mission.

In just thirty more seconds, he would be able to leave the One Piece World.

Although Reincarnation Paradise was not exactly safe, it shouldn't be lethal either; unless Reincarnation Paradise wanted him dead, it wouldn't keep throwing him into constant danger.

"Boom."

A loud explosion echoed from below, and with that sound, the entire castle began to tilt to one side.

This must have been caused by the King's guards fighting against Krieg.

"So, humans really can become this powerful."

Su Xiao did not fear their strength; instead, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He had a feeling that he might return to the One Piece World, but the next time he came here, it would certainly not be like this, completing a mission within a tiny kingdom.

Perhaps he would participate in the Summit War? Or perhaps he would join the struggle for supremacy on the seas.

The premise for all of this was that he had to be strong enough.

As the thirty-second mark arrived, Su Xiao felt his vision go black, his head feeling as if it had been struck by a hammer, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

In his hazy state of consciousness, he vaguely felt himself wrapped in a layer of transparent film, traveling at high speed, with what appeared to be blurred stars surrounding him.

"Thud."

Mid-transit, Su Xiao felt a jolt, and his consciousness cleared.

"Is this Reincarnation Paradise? You've got to be kidding me."

Su Xiao looked around in confusion; what met his eyes was a vast expanse of darkness.

"Clang."

A sky-piercing sword intent slashed through the darkness, and within that void, massive amounts of lightning began to spread.

That lightning seemed capable of devouring all matter, consuming even the surrounding darkness as it surged toward Su Xiao.

"A human? How could a human be in the Void? Interesting.

This power of space-time is quite strong, isn't it? That consciousness, come out! Fight me!"

A voice reeking of blood reached him—yes, it literally smelled of blood.

Although Su Xiao could not see what kind of entity this was, he could feel its immense power.

Standing up in the darkness, Su Xiao looked toward the source of the voice.

[Warning! Transmission interrupted by an unknown powerful entity. Suspected highly dangerous entity: Void Swordsman. Repairing...]

[Repairing, bzzzt~, repair complete. Transmission resuming.]

Su Xiao's vision went black once more, and he returned to the previous sensation.

In the Void, a man holding a long sword scanned his surroundings with sharp, piercing eyes.

"Did he escape? How boring. I was hoping for a fight, but whatever. That bald guy named Saitama was decent enough; I'll go find him for a match."

--

The Void was filled with unknowns and dangers, and Su Xiao had been unlucky enough to encounter such a threat.

When Su Xiao regained consciousness, he was already inside a room.

The room was rather strange; all four sides were completely sealed walls without windows or doors. The ceiling emitted a faint light, making the room quite bright, and the temperature was comfortable, with no sense of stuffiness at all.

Just as Su Xiao was examining his surroundings, a prompt from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.

[Transmission complete. Hunter has returned to the Exclusive Room.]

[The Exclusive Room is an absolute safe zone. No one can enter without the Hunter's permission.]

[Hunter has returned to Reincarnation Paradise. Beginning to calculate mission rewards.]

Derivative World: One Piece.

Difficulty: Lv.6 (Purgatory).

World Source obtained: 8.9%.

Number of missions completed: 2. (Main mission: Assassinate the King of the Goa Kingdom; Side mission: The Minister of the Left's collection.)

Comprehensive evaluation: A-. (Note: Ratings range from E- to S+. The comprehensive evaluation is calculated based on the total World Source obtained and the number of missions completed.)

Because the world level exceeded the Hunter's level by 5, it was classified as Nightmare difficulty; rewards are doubled.

Beginning to collect World Source..., World Source collection complete. Beginning to distribute rewards.

Rewards obtained: 4 attribute points, 10,000 Paradise Coins. (These rewards reflect the doubled values.)

Comprehensive evaluation is A-. Hunter level +1, upgraded to Lv.2. (Level increases based on rating. As this world was a trial world, the increase is capped at Lv.1.)

Settlement complete. Rewards have been automatically deposited into the Hunter Brand.

Su Xiao immediately opened the brand to check what the attribute points were.

"It didn't disappoint me. This is the hope for becoming stronger."

The corners of Su Xiao's mouth curled up, as these attribute points could actually improve any attribute except for luck.

As long as he could become stronger, what did it matter if he risked his life?

In truth, the most desperate situation wasn't being in danger, but having no chance to take risks at all.

Su Xiao immediately wanted to use the attribute points, but Reincarnation Paradise prompted that they could only be used within the Attribute Enhancement Hall, a facility within Reincarnation Paradise.

The settlement was over, and Su Xiao looked around in a daze.

With four walls that were airtight, how was he supposed to get out?

Just then, a somewhat strange prompt appeared before his eyes.

[Sell the World Tree Ring? Sale price: 50,000 Paradise Coins.]

The World Tree Ring was an item Su Xiao had obtained after killing the King, and now, Reincarnation Paradise was proactively asking him to sell it.

Given the current situation, if he refused to sell, Reincarnation Paradise wouldn't let him out and would keep him locked in the Exclusive Room indefinitely.

After hesitating for a moment, Su Xiao chose "No." He was prepared to court death.

The cover was just too flashy and an eyesore, so it was better to change it back.