Growth Potential

Leaving the cold drink shop, Su Xiao walked thoughtfully along the streets of Reincarnation Paradise.

Based on the information Xiluo Luo provided, his first priority was to head to the central area of Reincarnation Paradise and familiarize himself with the dozen or so important buildings there.

First, get acquainted with Reincarnation Paradise, then enhance his attributes, and after that, spend the Paradise Coins he had earned.

He currently had 8,400 Paradise Coins in hand. Originally, it was more than that, but he had spent over 3,000 Paradise Coins to recover from his injuries earlier, and another 50 Paradise Coins to Xiluo Luo. Now, this was all he had left.

After some initial exploration, Su Xiao had come to understand the value of Paradise Coins.

Ordinary Contractors, after experiencing their first Derivative World, typically earned between 1,000 and 2,000 Paradise Coins—barely enough to buy a single weapon.

The Derivative World he had gone through, however, was extremely dangerous, so the number of Paradise Coins he obtained was much higher, over ten thousand.

Walking along the streets of Reincarnation Paradise, watching the Contractors with their varied appearances, Su Xiao suddenly found himself liking this place.

Reincarnation Paradise was like a primeval forest. Its cruelty tore away everyone's hypocritical masks, revealing their true selves.

Though brutal, it was also simpler.

If two people held a grudge, they simply settled it with life or death. The Arena within Reincarnation Paradise was made for exactly that purpose.

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

Because he hadn't concealed his appearance, many people cast glances his way along the journey, but no brainless passersby came to provoke him.

Not hiding one's face could mean a few things: perhaps a newcomer, or perhaps an incredibly powerful monster who simply saw no need to hide.

What Su Xiao didn't know was that he fit both descriptions—a newcomer and an overwhelmingly powerful monster.

The inheritance of the Shadow of Law Destruction had boosted his attributes by a full 14 points.

Attribute points weren't easy to come by. An ordinary Contractor would need to go through 4 to 6 worlds just to barely earn 14 attribute points, and that was only with good luck.

Arriving at the central district of Reincarnation Paradise, over a dozen magnificent buildings came into view.

Unlike the shops run by workers, these buildings were much taller, standing out like a crane among chickens.

[Attribute Enhancement Hall], [Equipment Enhancement Hall], [Training Ground], [Arena]...

Su Xiao could only make out these four buildings. The others were shrouded in mist, likely because he didn't yet have the authority to access them.

Su Xiao walked straight into the [Attribute Enhancement Hall]. The moment he stepped through the entrance, his vision blurred. By the time he regained his bearings, he was inside a small steel compartment of just a few square meters.

"Click, click~."

The sound of machinery working came from all around, and a screen appeared before Su Xiao.

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

He was already familiar with this situation. Upon entering the Attribute Enhancement Hall, everyone was randomly teleported to an enhancement pod, and they had to pay to use it.

After paying 100 Paradise Coins, a prompt appeared on the screen.

Strength: 12-1 (Equipment bonuses temporarily invalid)

Agility: 10

Endurance: 6

Intelligence: 12

Charm: 3

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

[Ding. Detected that the Hunter's affinity attributes are Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. Please prioritize enhancing these three attributes.]

Su Xiao wasn't surprised by the prompt from Reincarnation Paradise.

After inheriting the Shadow of Law Destruction, he had received a notification that when his three affinity attributes each reached 20 points, there would be an additional change.

Every Contractor chose affinity attributes, but they usually did so on their own—melee-type Contractors chose Strength or Agility, mages chose Intelligence, and so on.

Su Xiao's situation was a bit special. After inheriting the Shadow of Law Destruction, his affinity attributes had become fixed.

And what was particularly frustrating was that his affinity attributes had a characteristic: the difference between any two of the three attributes could not exceed three points. Otherwise, the higher attribute could not be enhanced in the Attribute Enhancement Hall.

This undoubtedly limited Su Xiao's rapid growth. If he only enhanced one attribute, he could quickly push it to 20 points.

But there were benefits too. By developing multiple attributes simultaneously, as long as he kept pace with Contractors of the same rank, he would undoubtedly be among the top in combat strength.

Su Xiao now had 4 attribute points. After thinking for a moment, he allocated 1 point to Strength and the remaining 3 points to Agility, making his attributes more balanced.

[Enhancement begins. As enhancement is accompanied by intense pain, would you like to use the anesthesia function? This function is free.]

"Don't activate it."

Su Xiao answered decisively. Xiluo Luo had casually mentioned earlier that it was best not to use the anesthesia function when enhancing attributes, as it would affect the enhancement results.

However, most Contractors chose the anesthesia function, because the sensation during attribute enhancement was nothing short of unbearable.

To become stronger than others, one had to endure what ordinary people could not.

The enhancement pod began to operate, and a bone-deep, excruciating pain surged through him.

"No wonder others choose the anesthesia function."

Su Xiao's skin gradually reddened, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The feeling during attribute enhancement was, to say the least, quite 'intense.'

Ten minutes later, Su Xiao, drenched in sweat, walked out of the Attribute Enhancement Hall.

Although enhancing attributes was excruciatingly painful, as long as one endured the initial agony, the subsequent feeling of gradually growing stronger was quite pleasant.

Su Xiao didn't know how others felt, but he himself enjoyed this sensation.

Only power gained through hardship was truly reliable. As for that so-called anesthesia function, he wouldn't choose it—not today, not ever.

In truth, Xiluo Luo had only mentioned it casually. Aside from a very small number of "freaks," most Contractors opted for the anesthesia function.

After enhancing his attributes, Su Xiao's bare stats became: Strength 12, Agility 13, Intelligence 12.

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

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

With such a sudden increase in various attributes, he couldn't adapt to them at all. Even walking felt somewhat awkward.

His consciousness wasn't accustomed to his now-powerful body. This would require extensive training, with no shortcuts.

But that wasn't a problem. The [Training Ground] within Reincarnation Paradise was his best option right now.

Glancing at the [Testing Ground] before him, Su Xiao shook his head.

Since leaving the Derivative World, he hadn't rested at all. Moreover, in a Derivative World, one had to stay vigilant against all kinds of dangers at all times, making it impossible to rest peacefully.

Activating the brand on his arm, Su Xiao vanished from his spot and reappeared inside his Exclusive Room. This was a benefit provided by Reincarnation Paradise—as long as he was within the Paradise, he could return to his Exclusive Room at any time.

The comfortable temperature of the Exclusive Room made Su Xiao drowsy. Lying down on the slightly soft floor, he fell into a deep sleep within five minutes.

The prolonged mental tension from the Derivative World had finally overwhelmed him.

Around four in the afternoon, Fei Wen nearly knelt. No joke, Fei Wen got electrocuted. Let me describe the feeling—it was like holding a high-frequency vibrating phone in your hand. I, the mighty creator of the Thunder Sword Hero, almost got fried today. Laughing my ass off 233.