The prompt disappeared, leaving the room in complete silence.
"Hmph~ I don't believe I'll be trapped here to death."
Su Xiao simply sat down, beginning a stalemate with the Reincarnation Paradise.
He now understood one thing—the [World Tree Ring] in his storage space was an extremely precious item.
From the [World Tree Ring]'s "???" rating, it was clear that the Reincarnation Paradise seemed unwilling to reveal the item's true value.
[Please sell the World Tree Ring, Hunter, so the Reincarnation Paradise may absorb its World Power.]
The prompt reappeared. After a moment of thought, Su Xiao asked:
"What is your purpose in sending me to derivative worlds? And what exactly is this ring?"
Surprisingly, the Reincarnation Paradise actually answered him.
[The Reincarnation Paradise and Hunters share a 'symbiotic' relationship. Hunters and other Contractors explore derivative worlds to obtain World Origin. The Reincarnation Paradise requires World Power to evolve and maintain normal operations.]
[The World Tree Ring contains a large amount of World Power. Please sell it immediately.]
[The following content cannot be viewed due to insufficient permissions.]
...
Although the Reincarnation Paradise didn't provide much information, Su Xiao grasped the most crucial point:
The reason the Reincarnation Paradise sent him to derivative worlds was to obtain World Power through him.
This so-called World Power was likely extracted from World Origin, which was why the Reincarnation Paradise rewarded him based on how much World Origin he acquired.
The Reincarnation Paradise seemed to operate under certain rules. Otherwise, it wouldn't have asked him to sell the [World Tree Ring]—it would have simply taken it by force.
His identity as a Hunter proved one thing: under normal circumstances, the Reincarnation Paradise could not directly execute Contractors.
As long as he didn't violate the Reincarnation Paradise's regulations, it couldn't punish him—not just him, but all Contractors. This was precisely why Hunters existed.
Hunters were responsible for dealing with Contractors who exploited "loopholes" in derivative worlds without technically breaking the Reincarnation Paradise's rules.
For example, if a Contractor discovered a flaw in the system and used it for personal gain—that was when Su Xiao would step in.
Needless to say, those "rule-breaking" Contractors would undoubtedly be strong and extremely cunning.
Su Xiao remained seated on the ground, casually toying with [Zhanlong Flash].
A bold idea occurred to him—he could try extorting the Reincarnation Paradise.
Though it might seem like seeking death, given his status as a Hunter, the Reincarnation Paradise likely wouldn't do anything drastic to him.
Su Xiao was gambling. He was betting on whether his Hunter identity held enough importance. If it didn't, then all his suffering in that nightmare-difficulty world would have been for nothing.
Time passed minute by minute. Finally, after two hours, a prompt appeared before him:
[Special Mission: Choice]
Difficulty Level: ???
Mission Description: Hand over the [World Tree Ring] to the Reincarnation Paradise.
Mission Information: None
Time Limit: Five minutes.
Mission Reward: A legacy with extremely high compatibility with the Hunter's innate talent.
...
A smile crept onto Su Xiao's face. It seemed his Hunter status carried more weight than he'd thought—the Reincarnation Paradise had actually issued him a mission.
After some consideration, Su Xiao chose to accept.
Even though the Reincarnation Paradise was cold and emotionless, Su Xiao had no choice but to tread carefully. After all, his survival depended on it.
[Special Mission: Choice completed. Preparing to issue reward. Please prepare, Hunter.]
"Prepare?" It seemed this reward wasn't simple.
As soon as the prompt appeared, a beam of light enveloped Su Xiao in the room.
He sat motionless, staring blankly ahead, his pupils unfocused. Flickers of blue light occasionally flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, Su Xiao's consciousness had been transported to an enormous hall.
The hall was unimaginably vast—so large that its boundaries couldn't be seen.
Su Xiao scanned his surroundings and noticed six stone statues towering over a hundred meters tall. They were human figures, just magnified countless times.
"Successor... approach."
A majestic voice echoed. Su Xiao's body tensed—it had come from one of the statues before him.
"The time has come to fulfill our agreement."
Another statue spoke. Su Xiao's arrival seemed to trigger a chain reaction as all six statues began addressing him.
"You are the last successor. From this day forth, our legacy ends with you."
"Whether we fade into the river of time—or those spellcasters do—shall be determined by you."
"Spellcasters disrupt the balance of worlds and matter. Their so-called 'magic' consumes the power of rules."
"Foolish spellcasters. Even if our bodies are destroyed, our consciousness remains eternal."
Su Xiao stood rooted to the spot, his scalp tingling with awe. The statues before him were far more powerful than anything he could have imagined.
And these statues weren't living beings—they were merely fragments of consciousness left behind by those immensely powerful existences.
"Destruction, birth, annihilation, rebirth—all originate from this Sacred Hall of Creation."
"Successor, remember the name we share. We are the Shadows of the Lawless—the natural enemies of all spellcasters!"
All six statues opened their eyes simultaneously, fixing their gazes on Su Xiao. He felt an overwhelming surge of energy flood his body, followed by a dizzying whirl of sensations and a ringing in his ears.
...
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Su Xiao awoke in his private room, gasping for breath.
He was still in the Reincarnation Paradise. Everything that had just happened felt like an illusion.
[Reward distribution complete. Private room functions activated.]
Following the prompt, a door appeared on one of the walls, meaning he could finally leave.
But Su Xiao had no time for that now. He could feel an immense energy surging within him, threatening to tear his body apart.
"What's... happening...?"
He could barely speak. The foreign energy was rapidly transforming his body—not destroying it, but strengthening it in an excruciatingly violent manner.
His blood flowed at an accelerated rate as his cells underwent metamorphosis. The most visible change was his hair—the black strands were faintly turning gray, though the shift was subtle and hard to notice.
With a thud, Su Xiao collapsed to the ground. He could barely hold on. If this continued, he would die soon.
[Abnormal life signs detected in Hunter. Preparing to activate recovery function. This function will consume the Hunter's Paradise Coins. Activate? Yes/No]
To Su Xiao, the Reincarnation Paradise's typically cold voice now sounded like the sweetest melody.
"Act... ivate."
Agony wracked his body as his consciousness teetered on the edge.
The moment he spoke, an emerald glow enveloped him, and his Paradise Coins began depleting rapidly.
In less than five seconds, the recovery function had already consumed over a thousand coins.
After about ten seconds, the energy within him vanished—fully absorbed by his body—and the recovery function deactivated.
Su Xiao sat up, testing his movements. Something felt different.
"This is...?"
He stared at his hands in disbelief. After absorbing that energy, he seemed stronger.
No—he was much stronger.
However, since this enhancement wasn't granted by the Reincarnation Paradise, no notifications appeared.
When he opened his [Personal Information], Su Xiao froze.
The reward from selling the World Tree Ring was far more astonishing than he'd ever imagined.