New Derivative World

"Tick-tock, tick-tock~."

The sound of the clock echoed through the quiet living room.

Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the sofa with his sword laid across his legs. He was meditating.

This kind of meditation wasn't the same as a Mage's meditation. It was a method Koshiro had taught Su Xiao, allowing him to sense himself more clearly.

Practicing swordsmanship wasn't just about swinging a blade. It was also a process of strengthening the body and mind. To other people, this process might have seemed dull, but Su Xiao enjoyed it.

How passionate someone was about something also determined how far they could go with it. If they didn't even have the basic enthusiasm, they might as well give up—especially when it came to cultivating swordsmanship.

"Phew~."

After exhaling deeply, Su Xiao ended his meditation. Although he hadn't exercised, he still felt ravenously hungry.

Picking up his phone, Su Xiao ordered takeout for eight people. With his current appetite, an ordinary person's portion wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

Half an hour later, someone knocked on the door.

Seeing the deliveryman drenched in sweat, Su Xiao smiled wryly. Carrying eight portions of takeout upstairs had indeed been hard work.

"Click."

The door across the hall opened, and a stern-looking man wearing sunglasses stepped out.

The man in sunglasses glanced at Su Xiao and the deliveryman. When he saw Su Xiao, he clearly became wary, because Su Xiao lived directly opposite him.

"New tenant?"

"New tenant."

After exchanging greetings, the man in sunglasses went downstairs.

After eating his fill, Su Xiao recalled the man in sunglasses. The man's steps were powerful and his lower body was steady. He definitely wasn't an ordinary person, but Su Xiao had no intention of investigating his origins. That would simply be meddling.

Having stayed in the real world for only a few days, Su Xiao felt inexplicably restless.

He actually yearned to enter Reincarnation Paradise and go on an adventure. This made him smile bitterly. Perhaps he simply wasn't the sort of person who could stay content.

Beep. A new Derivative World is about to open. Hunter, you will return to Reincarnation Paradise. Please ensure there are no witnesses nearby.

Transmitting... Transmission complete.

Su Xiao's consciousness grew hazy, and a ringing filled his ears. When everything returned to normal, he was already inside his Exclusive Room.

A new Derivative World had arrived. Su Xiao couldn't help feeling expectant. What kind of world would he enter this time? If it was another nightmare-level world like One Piece, things would become troublesome.

This time, upon entering the Derivative World, Su Xiao would receive not only Reincarnation Paradise's Main Quest, but also a Hunt Mission.

If the Derivative World's difficulty was too high, his chances of completing the hunt would be slim.

"Paradise, what Derivative World will I enter?"

Hunter Level: Lv. 2. Notification can be received ten minutes before entering a Derivative World. Hunter will enter the Derivative World in one hour. Please wait patiently.

Su Xiao understood. So he could learn in advance which Derivative World he would enter, but this required a certain level. The higher his level, the earlier he would receive the notification, which meant he would have more time to prepare.

At present, he could only receive the notification ten minutes in advance. That wasn't too short, but it wasn't long, either. It would be difficult to prepare anything in time.

Leaving the Exclusive Space, Su Xiao headed toward a Trading Market.

It was a circular plaza. Although people sold items throughout Reincarnation Paradise, the plaza had the most people, and quite a few of them had good merchandise.

The green firearm Su Xiao had seen before had been in the Trading Plaza.

"Complete Guide to Skill Materials! Four-month-old shop!"

"That's too expensive. Seven hundred? Why don't you just rob me?"

"Buying resources produced in Derivative Worlds! Fair prices!"

"Don't miss out as you pass by! All kinds of recovery items available!"

The crowd bustled about, while cries of vendors and haggling blended together.

Su Xiao had 2,827 Paradise Coins left. He had deliberately saved them to prepare for the upcoming Derivative World.

Stopping in front of a stall selling recovery items, Su Xiao saw several Contractors gathered there, all looking somewhat hesitant.

Su Xiao had seen this stall several times before. Its owner was probably a Worker who often set up shop here.

Compared with Contractors' stalls, Su Xiao had more faith in Workers' stalls.

Many Contractors treated the items they obtained in Derivative Worlds as treasures and priced them outrageously.

Workers were different. They spent all year around the Trading Market and understood Reincarnation Paradise's prices very well.

If a large number of Contractors had recently entered a world with dark creatures, the prices of items with light attributes would rise noticeably.

Price increases varied according to the Contractors' needs. This was an iron rule. Workers didn't dare to inflate prices recklessly, since they also had to enter Derivative Worlds and might face retaliation.

At the recovery-item stall, Su Xiao found several decent recovery items.

Salt Rice Ball

Origin: Toriko

Quality: White

Type: Recovery Item

Effect: After consumption, slowly restores 10% of Health.

Rating: 3 (Note: White items are rated from 1 to 10. The rating represents the item's value.)

Description: A rice ball. A miraculous rice ball. A rice ball that can slowly heal injuries.

Golden Fried Rice

Origin: Food Wars

Quality: White

Type: Recovery Item

Effect: After consumption, slowly restores 40% of Health. (This item requires a relatively long time to consume. Health restored depends on the amount eaten, with a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 40%.)

Rating: 5 (Note: White items are rated from 1 to 10. The rating represents the item's value.)

Description: It isn't merely a recovery item; it's also delicious. A dish that doesn't make clothes explode isn't a good dish.

XT-12 Vitality Potion

Origin: Reincarnation Paradise, Glow Potion Production Line No. 3.

Quality: White

Type: Recovery Item

Effect: After drinking, restores 15% of Health within a short period.

Rating: 8 (Note: White items are rated from 1 to 10. The rating represents the item's value.)

Description: Manufactured by a Worker and reviewed by Reincarnation Paradise: Safe.

Of the three recovery items, Golden Fried Rice restored the most Health, but it had to be eaten in its entirety and restored Health slowly.

Salt Rice Balls were similar to Golden Fried Rice, but could be eaten much faster. Based on Su Xiao's estimate, he could finish one in at most two bites. In a critical moment, he could even swallow one whole.

The most valuable item was the bottle of XT-12 Vitality Potion. Although it could only restore 15% of Health, he could take a sip during a lull in battle.

Reincarnation Paradise didn't have a function for directly using potions. He had to use them himself.

Eating recovery items during an intense battle was difficult, but that didn't mean recovery items had no value. Using them to heal injuries after battle was the best choice.

"These three. Name your price."

The Worker noticed that Su Xiao intended to buy. Unlike the several Contractors nearby, Su Xiao had a clear purpose.

"Salt Rice Balls, 100 Paradise Coins. Golden Fried Rice, 200 Paradise Coins. XT-12 Vitality Potion, 700 Paradise Coins. One thousand Paradise Coins total.

"Friend, I can tell you sincerely want to buy, and I'm sincerely selling. This is the best price. My name is Yao Guan. Consider it making a friend."

The first two food-based recovery items weren't expensive. Only the potion cost as much as 700 Paradise Coins.

But it could save a life, so it was only natural for it to be more expensive.

Imagine a Contractor on the brink of death. A single potion might be enough to save his life.

"Too expensive. How about this? I'll buy more..."

After some haggling, Su Xiao spent 1,500 Paradise Coins to purchase one XT-12 Vitality Potion, two Golden Fried Rice, and five Salt Rice Balls.

The Worker named Yao Guan was delighted and even reminded Su Xiao how to use them properly.

Yao Guan was naturally a false name, just like Su Xiao's Byakuya. In Reincarnation Paradise, Contractors who used their real names were rarer than giant pandas.

Although Salt Rice Balls could only restore 10% of Health, they were convenient to consume.

Recovery items didn't have a cooldown, but if they were consumed repeatedly within a short period, their effects would diminish, eventually losing all restorative effect.

"Brother, I hope you come back alive."

Yao Guan waved at Su Xiao with a sincere smile.

Workers were different from Contractors. They hadn't experienced as much brutality, and most Workers had never even killed anyone.

"Thanks for the good wishes."

After wandering around the Trading Market for a while, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.

Hunter will enter the Derivative World: Tokyo Ghoul in ten minutes.

Fei Wen felt that the Ghoul world might suit my writing style very well, perhaps even better than One Piece, so please look forward to it.