Information Asymmetry

Wang Changle muttered to himself. He had a premonition that this Hardening ability shouldn't be limited to just defense.

Because the Paradise information displayed it as equipment or an item, not armor.

Therefore, it should work for weapons too. Wang Changle's gaze couldn't help but drift toward the Fire Axe in his hand.

The Fire Axe could be considered his strongest weapon right now, but it was somewhat lacking when facing a Level 2 Zombie. If it could be stronger, he would be able to kill zombies faster!

He acted on the thought. The card in Wang Changle's hand turned into a stream of light and instantly merged into the Fire Axe.

The wooden-handled, hammer-style Fire Axe changed its form in an instant. The handle and the axe head fused together as if cast from steel, feeling heavy in his hand.

The handle curved into a '7' shape, with the tail of the '7' curving backward and a wooden palm rest at the end.

Whether it was the grip or the fluidity of the swing, it was now much more ergonomic.

The axe head became flatter, but the blade grew more than three times larger, stretching out on both sides into a crescent shape. The hardened edge shimmered with a faint, cold light.

[Prompt: You have bestowed the 'Crude Fire Axe' with the characteristic (Hardening).]

[Prompt: 'Crude Fire Axe' has been changed to 'Steel-hardened Battle Axe'.]

[Prompt: You have obtained the weapon Steel-hardened Battle Axe *1.]

As he swung it, the blade sliced through the air, and he could hear a "whoosh" tearing sound.

If the previous Fire Axe was a tool, then the current Steel-hardened Battle Axe was a lethal weapon.

A lethal weapon born specifically for severing limbs and decapitation!

With the length unchanged, the blade, which was more than three times wider than before, and the cold-shimmering edge gave it greater attack power and a larger attack range.

[Steel-hardened Battle Axe]

White: 10 (Rare)

Attack Power: 7~15

Characteristic Hardening: Ignores 5 points of defense (Additional attribute)

Durability: 25/25

Equipment Requirement: 3 points of Strength; Strength over 6 points allows for flexible use.

Introduction: An axe for decapitation.

Value: 1200 Cycle Coins. This item is a rule-based item and can be brought out of the 'Derivative World'.

The Fire Axe not only changed its form but also brought brand-new attributes. Most importantly, it could be brought out of the "Derivative World".

Although Characteristic Cards could not be traded, they could bestow the rules of the Paradise onto an object, allowing the target to be brought out of the world!

Wang Changle swung the axe casually. With a "shing," it severed the Iron Skin Zombie's arm, the cut clean and the cross-section smooth.

"Hmm. So sharp!"

Wang Changle believed that if he had been holding this axe before, he could have split that zombie in two with just that initial sneak attack.

With this weapon, Wang Changle felt a few more degrees of certainty regarding his upcoming plans.

After resting for a moment, Wang Changle prepared to leave the warehouse.

He walked a few steps, then stopped and glanced at Dahua, who was following far behind him.

The half-grown kid was wearing an ill-fitting uniform and had dyed his hair yellow. He had been the loudest one earlier, so it was unexpected to see him acting so timid now.

It was hard to imagine that the scrawny boy before him would actually become the one who survived in the end. Sometimes, one had to admit that luck was also a form of strength.

"You, is something the matter?"

Wang Changle looked at Dahua with a mix of annoyance and amusement. He hadn't gone looking for trouble with this guy, yet the trouble had come knocking on his door?!

"I, can I follow you, big brother?"

Dahua was somewhat timid, his lowered eyes occasionally darting toward the steel axe in Wang Changle's hand.

"Follow me? Why?"

Wang Changle put away the battle axe, looking at this restless kid with amusement.

"I don't want to die, I want to live. Only by following you do I have a chance to survive. After all, you're so strong..."

Seeing the battle axe disappear in a flash, Dahua's expression changed slightly. This world really was different now!

"But why should I take a dead weight like you along? Besides, you guys just tried to rob me, didn't you?"

Wang Changle smiled noncommittally at these words, though his eyes narrowed.

"I, I didn't, it wasn't me, it wasn't me, it was Old Thief Han who ordered me to! No, don't go, I was wrong, I apologize to you, big brother, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!"

Seeing Wang Changle turn to leave, Dahua panicked and couldn't help but step forward.

"Oh, just a moment ago you were calling him Old Man Han, and now you're calling him Old Thief Han. You really are a white-eyed wolf in every sense of the word!"

Wang Changle slowly closed the warehouse door, looking at Dahua with disgust.

"I, I just wanted to survive, what did I do wrong! Do I not even have the right to live?!"

Dahua looked at the boy closing the door, a bad premonition rising in his heart, and he screamed in a breakdown.

"Well, you do have the right to live, but I have no obligation to save you. And you guys provoked me."

A cold light flashed, a thigh flew into the air, and blood splattered.

"Ah~~~ My leg! Ah!"

"You could have lived. Well, if your voice had been a little quieter."

Giving a cold glance at Dahua, who was wailing on the ground, Wang Changle opened the door, waved at Dahua, and turned to walk out of the hotel.

Not long after Wang Changle left, something in the darkness seemed to be attracted by the sound.

The shrill wailing gradually turned into "smack, smack" sounds, as if something was being devoured.

Being kind to an enemy is being cruel to oneself!

Having left the hotel, Wang Changle looked at the ruined, pitch-black street, his heart surging.

"Hoo~"

The slideshow of the recent battle flashed through his mind—the tension of being on the verge of death, the satisfaction of an instant counter-kill, and the gore of a shattered skull.

All of it made Wang Changle feel unprecedentedly exhilarated, a thrill that came from the marrow of his bones!

If he had been flustered and ignorant when he first entered the Cycle Paradise and traveled to this Derivative World, he had now adapted.

This adaptation wasn't physical or physiological, but a change in mindset.

Yes, facing such life-and-death battles, he didn't feel fear or resistance; instead, he felt excited, satisfied, and unrestrained.

So this was the feeling of being a Hunter, the thrill of battle.

He seemed to understand why the Cycle Paradise had chosen him as a Hunter.

That indifference toward life in his bones, along with the flashes of inspiration during combat, all proved that he was perfectly suited for this identity.

In the process of fighting, every cell in his body seemed to be clamoring, singing wildly, burning, and roaring.

In his mind, there seemed to be a voice shouting!

Go fight, go kill, go enjoy it.

The surge of adrenaline, the rush of blood to his head, and the rapid heartbeat—even recalling it made Wang Changle feel excited and intoxicated.

"This feeling is just great!"

Bloody slaughter, destruction, and ending lives—power not only strengthens a person's will but also changes their character, and perhaps this was the feeling of possessing power.

Under the state of enlightenment, Wang Changle felt something in his heart and took out the white treasure chest from earlier.

Wang Changle had a feeling that inside this chest was something that could help him take another step forward.

With inexplicable excitement and anticipation, and under the system's prompt, the white treasure chest was opened, and a slender green potion fell into his hand.

[Prompt: You have opened a treasure chest (white) *1.]

[Prompt: You have obtained a One-star Evolution Potion *1.]

A One-star Evolution Potion!

After the injection was completed, a wave of dry heat followed—a crazy, dry heat that swept through his entire body. Fine beads of sweat constantly appeared.

Though he was in the cold night, he felt as if he were inside a furnace. His muscles began to spasm, his heartbeat accelerated, and the pain made him groan and collapse to the ground.

After the severe pain subsided, he sensed a new power being awakened within his body, a violent energy coursing through every inch of his skin.

Amidst his panting, Wang Changle stood up again and opened his personal information.

Health: 100% (This data cannot be displayed specifically)

Mana: 80 (Intelligence * 10, current mana recovery speed is 2.5 per hour)

Strength: 6 (+1)

Agility: 7 (+1)

Stamina: 8 (+3)

Intelligence: 8 (+2)

Charm: 8 (+1)

Luck: 1 (Item opening, manufacturing related; this attribute is extremely difficult to improve, please cherish the opportunity to improve it, Contractor)

Note: The standard attribute for an adult male is 5 points, and Luck is 1 point.

This One-star Evolution Potion was truly a species-altering existence. One bottle of potion had increased all his attributes, a total increase of 8 points!

Such a significant increase in attributes would take even a Cycle Paradise contractor at least 2 to 3 worlds to achieve, yet now a single bottle of One-star Evolution Potion had accomplished it!

A Level 8 world was indeed a world full of danger and opportunity!

The bold starve to death, the timid die of hunger!

Feeling the power within his body, Wang Changle glanced at the map in his hand and set off into the dark night. He hoped he could make it in time!

Yingcheng, Tennis Center.

At the entrance to the stairs leading to the second floor of the tennis center, Ye Zhongming handed a baseball bat emitting a faint gray glow to the policewoman, Mo Ye.

Ye Zhongming gestured with his hand, and Mo Ye nodded, darting out in a flash, immediately attracting the attention of the three Blood-tongue Lizards.

The lead Blood-tongue Lizard, discovering that the prey that had escaped earlier had reappeared in its field of vision, immediately let out a "hissing" cry.

Its figure suddenly accelerated, chasing after the policewoman Mo Ye toward the training center.

The second after Mo Ye entered the basketball court, the lead lizard followed her in.

"Whoosh~"

The scarlet tongue, like a long whip, lashed out toward Mo Ye in front, but she dodged it nimbly.

"Hah!"

While dodging the lead Blood-tongue Lizard's attacks, Mo Ye used her martial arts skills to counterattack with the baseball bat in her hand. Every strike hit the lead lizard, causing it to wail in pain.

Just as half of the second lizard's body passed through the door, she suddenly saw a flash of cold light streak through the darkness.

It looked like a battle axe!

"Shing!"

The cold-shimmering battle axe drew a silver arc in the air, bringing with it a spray of blood as a half-meter-long tail was severed.

The suddenly crippled lizard immediately lost its balance, crashing into the basketball hoop like a rolling gourd.

"Clang~"

The tail-less lizard felt a tearing pain coming from behind. It looked around, only to see a man holding a battle axe standing in the shadows, his own tail being stepped on by that man.

"Hmm... I missed the mark a bit!"