Chapter 1: The Avenger
Nightfall descended upon a bustling yet restless second-tier city.
The streets were packed with traffic, and the onset of nightlife drew hordes of young people escaping their stifling rooms, eager to squander their time in revelry.
Perched atop the roof of a two-story villa, Su Xiao crouched low as the night breeze brushed past him, bringing a fleeting coolness.
Dressed in black with a wide hood obscuring his features, Su Xiao concealed himself within the shadows of the rooftop.
In the sweltering heat of summer, even at night, such attire would leave most drenched in sweat.
But compared to the misfortunes he had endured, this discomfort was nothing. He had already waited here for two hours.
At his age, Su Xiao should have been enjoying the carefree days of university life. Yet, consumed by vengeance, he had abandoned his studies three years ago to immerse himself in other fields of knowledge.
Human anatomy, combat techniques, lock-picking—these were the skills he had mastered.
And so, the long wait began…
Two hours later, a sleek black luxury car slowly rolled into the villa's courtyard. The low growl of its engine faded as the door opened, and a middle-aged man, reeking of alcohol, stumbled out.
His steps were unsteady, his body swaying from excessive drinking.
From the rooftop, Su Xiao reached for the long blade beside him. With a silent draw, the jet-black weapon emerged, its surface nearly invisible under the cover of night.
In one fluid motion, Su Xiao leaped from the six-meter-high roof. His nimble hands caught onto the villa's protruding edges mid-air, slowing his descent.
He landed smoothly, directly in front of his target.
Without a word, Su Xiao swung the blade. The weapon sliced through the air with a mournful whistle before cleanly severing the man's throat.
Blood gushed forth. Though Su Xiao twisted away, droplets still splattered onto his sleeves and the back of his hand.
The drunken man collapsed backward before he could even comprehend what had happened.
Such a wound was fatal. Su Xiao immediately bolted toward a less populated area.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a uniformed security guard.
Even if his crime had been witnessed, it didn't matter—his face was well concealed.
But in the next instant, a chill shot down Su Xiao's spine.
The guard was pulling out a gun from his waist—a sleek, black pistol, its elongated barrel unmistakably fitted with a suppressor.
Since when do security guards carry firearms?
There was no time to ponder. Behind him lay the villa's expansive courtyard, at least a dozen meters wide. The guard stood roughly twenty meters away. If he chose to flee, his back would be fully exposed—turning him into a sitting duck.
When faced with danger, Su Xiao's first instinct was never to run.
It was to eliminate the threat at its source.
He lunged forward, weaving in an S-pattern to evade gunfire.
Pfft. Pfft. Pfft…
The suppressed pistol emitted only faint pops.
Su Xiao had barely covered five meters when a sharp numbness shot through his calf, followed by a similar sensation in his chest.
He knew he'd been shot.
Though he was an avenger, this was his first time taking a bullet.
A creeping weakness spread through his body. Fear never surfaced—only a searing frustration.
His vengeance remained unfinished. To die now, at the hands of some unknown enemy—what a pathetic way to go.
Summoning the last of his strength, Su Xiao hurled his blade.
The throw was a desperate gamble. But as if the heavens had sensed his resentment, the spinning blade arced through the air before miraculously embedding itself in the guard's chest.
Collapsing to the ground, Su Xiao managed a faint smile.
That blade had been laced with a lethal neurotoxin—a deadly cocktail. The wounded guard wouldn't survive.
His vision blurred. A crushing impact struck his skull, plunging him into darkness.
In his final flicker of consciousness, a voice echoed faintly in his ears:
"Hunter, the 'Reincarnation Paradise' welcomes you."
[Body transmission in progress…]
[10%, 50%, 100%—Transmission complete. Detected severe physical damage in Hunter. Awaiting repair…]
[Hunter consciousness not yet revived. Repair protocol delayed. Current status: minimal life support. Duration: 10 minutes…]
[Beep—Growth-type talent detected in Hunter. Survival time extended by two hours.]
Amid the void, lines of pale blue text floated in the darkness, glowing faintly.
Beneath them, Su Xiao lay sprawled in a pool of his own blood.
His fingers twitched. Slowly, he stirred awake.
Disoriented at first, the memory of the gun's muzzle sent him scrambling to his feet—
Agony lanced through him, nearly knocking him unconscious again.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself into a sitting position and scanned his surroundings. Aside from the glowing text, there was only endless black.
[Hunter, welcome to the 'Reincarnation Paradise.']
A new line of text materialized before him. But Su Xiao ignored it, focusing instead on assessing his injuries.
His calf had been torn open, the wound gaping wide enough to fit a finger.
The sight was gruesome, yet Su Xiao merely frowned. He had endured far worse.
His chest injury was even more severe. Yet strangely, neither wound was bleeding anymore.
"I'm not dead?"
Pressing a hand to his chest, he felt the steady thud of his heartbeat.
[Hunter, you are not deceased. Do you wish to join the 'Reincarnation Paradise'? Here, you will find everything you desire.]
Su Xiao had noticed the eerie text earlier, but his wariness of the unknown kept him from engaging.
The situation was undeniably bizarre. He should have died from his injuries, yet here he was—alive. And before him, a crimson countdown ticked away ominously.
[1:35:10], [1:35:09]…
One hour, thirty-five minutes, and nine seconds—if his guess was correct, the numbers were counting down.
A sense of foreboding gripped him. When that timer hit zero, death would claim him.
[Hunter, please establish communication with the 'Paradise' promptly to finalize the contract. Otherwise, you will perish in '1 hour and 35 minutes.']
So, the numbers represented his remaining lifespan. Su Xiao had suspected as much—his wounds should have been fatal.
"Where's my blade?"
Instead of asking about the 'contract' or the 'Paradise,' Su Xiao demanded the return of his weapon.
That blade was the only memento left by his parents—a military officer's sword allegedly seized by his great-grandfather and passed down through generations.
[Most real-world items cannot be brought into the 'Paradise.' Please proceed with the contract immediately.]
Su Xiao fell silent. The blue text flickered, as if unaccustomed to dealing with a 'Hunter' like him.
"A contract? Explain. What must I give, and what will I gain?"
With his survival time dwindling, Su Xiao couldn't afford to waste a second. Besides, he sensed that he had stumbled into something supernatural—and that stirred something within him.
He needed power to exact his revenge. And while the supernatural came with immense risks, it also promised extraordinary strength.
[By signing the contract, you will traverse various 'derivative worlds,' completing missions issued by the 'Reincarnation Paradise.' You will earn 'World Origin,' which determines the richness of your rewards.]
[The 'Reincarnation Paradise' is omnipotent.]
...
Lines of text flooded his vision. Su Xiao read them carefully.
"Omnipotent? Can it bring the dead back to life?"
All the blue text froze mid-air before vanishing.
[Given your status as a Hunter, the answer is no.]