Shards of shattered glass flew as Su Xiao charged into the corridor. While midair, he adjusted his center of gravity and slashed toward the King of the Goa Kingdom ahead of him.
The King had his back turned to Su Xiao and hadn't noticed the assassin approaching from behind. His face showed a look of utter bewilderment.
A flash of cold steel glinted in the moonlight, delivering a sorrowful beauty to the scene. The sharp blade sliced through the air, letting out a mournful whistle.
"Squelch!"
Su Xiao's blade cut cleanly through the King's waist. Blood splattered in the air, forming glistening droplets that burst upon contact with the floor or walls.
With a single stroke, the King was bisected at the waist.
In midair, the King stared in shock, dumbfounded, as he looked down at the legs lying on the ground.
For a brief moment, he felt that those legs looked strangely familiar.
Thud~ The King's upper body fell to the ground. The overwhelming agony that followed felt as though it would devour him whole.
His mouth opened wide, just about to scream — but Su Xiao's second strike had already arrived.
Just as swift, accurate, and ruthless as the first. The blade flashed, and the King's head rolled.
"Mission accomplished."
Flicking the blood from his blade, Su Xiao had, single-handedly and without injury, assassinated a king — in a world full of "monsters."
To achieve this, both courage and audacity were indispensable.
[You have killed Philip Herbert, King of the Goa Kingdom.][Philip Herbert was a mission target; no World's Origin granted. Current total World's Origin: 8.9%.][Your innate ability "Soul Devourer" has activated. +2 permanent Mana. Current Mana: 93.]
As the King died, a white treasure chest floated up from his corpse.
Having opened several white chests before, Su Xiao didn't hesitate and chose to open it immediately.
[You have opened a White Treasure Chest. The following items have been acquired:][You have obtained: Ring of the World Tree]
A ring appeared in Su Xiao's hand. It was entirely transparent, as though crafted from some kind of crystalline material.
[Ring of the World Tree]Quality: White ～ ???Rating: ???Description: This ring was crafted from Adamwood. Do not underestimate it — its material was taken from the very heart of the Adam Tree. The Adam Tree is also known as the World Tree — a cornerstone of the Pirate World.
...
The ring had no attributes, and though its quality was listed as white, the description was vague. Su Xiao simply tossed it into his storage space to examine later.
"Ahhhh~~~!"
A sharp scream rang out — it was the Queen.
Su Xiao frowned. That kind of scream could attract more enemies.
He rushed forward swiftly and, with a single slash, severed her throat. The scream stopped abruptly.
Showing mercy to enemies is an act of utter stupidity — Su Xiao understood that perfectly.
As long as someone was labeled an enemy, he would show no hesitation.
Those who are indecisive have no place in combat — and certainly no place in the Reincarnation Paradise.
[Hunter has completed Main Mission: Assassinate the King of Goa Kingdom.][Main Mission Difficulty: Lv.3 | World Difficulty: Lv.6 | Exclusive Hunter Trial: Success.][Hunter status officially unlocked. Hunter Missions will be issued in the next world.][Main mission complete. Hunter will be extracted from this world in 30 seconds. Please prepare.]
...
It was over. After enduring countless perils, Su Xiao had finally completed his mission.
In thirty seconds, he would be able to leave the Pirate World.
Although the Reincarnation Paradise was not exactly a safe place, it wasn't inherently dangerous either — not unless it wanted to kill him. Otherwise, it wouldn't constantly place him in peril.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed from below. Following the blast, the entire castle began to tilt.
It was likely the result of a battle between the King's guards and Krieg.
"So humans really can grow this powerful..."
Su Xiao felt no fear in the face of such strength. Instead, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
He had a feeling he might return to the Pirate World again someday. But next time, it wouldn't be just a small mission in a minor kingdom.
Perhaps he would step onto the battlefield at Marineford? Or maybe join the war for supremacy on the high seas?
But all of that depended on whether he grew strong enough.
Once the thirty seconds were up, Su Xiao's vision went black. It felt like he'd taken a hammer to the head — his entire body plunged into disorientation.
In that blurred state, he faintly sensed being wrapped in a transparent membrane, hurtling forward at high speed. Around him, vague images of stars flickered.
"Thud."
Mid-teleportation, Su Xiao felt a sudden jolt — his mind became clear.
"Is this Reincarnation Paradise? What kind of joke is this?"
Su Xiao looked around in confusion. What greeted him was vast, unending darkness.
"Clang!"
A blade of sword energy sliced through the darkness, followed by massive bolts of lightning spreading outward.
That lightning seemed capable of devouring all matter — even the surrounding darkness was being swallowed. The lightning spread toward Su Xiao.
"A human? What's a human doing in the Void? Interesting.""This temporal energy is pretty strong... That presence — come out! Fight me!"
A voice thick with the scent of blood echoed. That's right — Su Xiao could literally smell blood in the voice.
Though he couldn't see what kind of being it was, he could sense its overwhelming power.
Standing in the darkness, Su Xiao looked toward the source of the voice.
[Warning! Teleportation interrupted by an unknown powerful entity. Extremely dangerous being suspected: Void Swordmaster. Initiating repair…][Repairing... Static... Repair complete. Resuming teleportation.]
Darkness fell again. The previous sensation returned.
In the Void, a man holding a long sword narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings.
"Escaped? What a bore. I was looking forward to a fight. Whatever... That bald guy named Saitama was at least decent. Guess I'll go find him for a round."
The Void was full of danger and uncertainty. Su Xiao was unlucky to have encountered such a threat.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself inside a room.
The room was peculiar — all four walls were sealed with no windows or doors. The ceiling glowed faintly, illuminating the room brightly, and the temperature was comfortable, without any sense of stuffiness.
As Su Xiao examined his surroundings, the system prompt from Reincarnation Paradise appeared:
[Teleportation complete. Hunter has returned to exclusive room.][Exclusive room is an absolute safe zone. No one may enter without the Hunter's permission.][Hunter has returned to Reincarnation Paradise. Commencing mission reward calculation.]
Derived World: One PieceDifficulty: Lv.6 (Purgatory)World's Origin Gained: 8.9%Number of Missions Completed: 2 (Main: Assassinate the Goa Kingdom's King; Side: Left Minister's Collection)Comprehensive Evaluation: A- (Note: Ratings range from E- to S+. Evaluation is based on total World's Origin gained and number of missions completed.)Note: World Level exceeded Hunter Level (Lv.5), classified as Nightmare Difficulty. Rewards doubled.
Collecting World's Origin…Collection complete. Issuing rewards…Rewards obtained: 4 Attribute Points, 10,000 Paradise Coins (doubled).Comprehensive Evaluation: A- | Hunter Level +1 → Lv.2 (Level increase based on score. Trial World max level increase: +1.)Settlement complete. Rewards stored in Hunter's Mark.
...
Su Xiao immediately opened his Hunter's Mark to check the attribute points.
"As expected, it didn't disappoint. This… this is my hope for becoming stronger."
A smirk appeared at the corner of Su Xiao's lips — attribute points could be used to enhance any stat except for Luck.
As long as it made him stronger, he didn't care even if it cost him his life.
After all, the most despairing thing wasn't being in danger — it was not even having a chance to risk it all.
Su Xiao was about to use the points immediately but was notified by the system that attribute points could only be used in the Attribute Enhancement Hall, a facility within Reincarnation Paradise.
The mission settlement was now complete. Su Xiao looked around, confused.
Surrounded by tightly sealed walls — how was he supposed to get out?
Just then, a strange prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Sell "Ring of the World Tree"? Selling price: 50,000 Paradise Coins.]
The Ring of the World Tree was the item Su Xiao obtained after killing the King. Now, Reincarnation Paradise was prompting him to sell it.
From the look of things, if he refused to sell it, he wouldn't be allowed to leave — the system would keep him trapped in the exclusive room.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Xiao chose No — he decided to go all in.