Chapter 1: Reincarnation Paradise

The sunlight gradually dispersed the thin mist, and the streets and alleys of Z City began to bustle with activity.

Inside the martial arts gym, a deathly silence was permeated by a faint sense of murderous intent.

Lin Yi stood alone on the ring, his black trench coat fluttering gently in the breeze, his long sword resting peacefully in its exquisite scabbard.

The atmosphere inside the gym was so oppressive it was almost suffocating. On the ring, the gym master lay curled in a pool of blood, his life hanging by a thread.

Yet, Lin Yi’s gaze was as cold as ice, seemingly indifferent to the tragic scene before him.

He silently sheathed his long sword, intending to leave this place of trouble shrouded in the scent of blood.

But just as he was about to step out of the gym’s main entrance, several young men in gym uniforms suddenly appeared, blocking his path.

The leader of the youths struggled to suppress the fear in his heart, shouting with a trembling yet firm voice: "You can't leave! You must give us an explanation today!"

Lin Yi’s brows furrowed slightly; he was quite displeased by the feeling of being obstructed.

He swept his calm gaze over the leader and said in a detached tone: "The life-and-death contract was signed; one’s fate is in their own hands. By doing this now, are you trying to break the rules of the martial arts world?"

A young man suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed firmly on Lin Yi as he said in a resolute voice: "Let him go!"

Lin Yi glanced at him quickly, understanding dawned on him.

He realized that this young man didn't truly want to let him go, but rather wanted to preserve the last shred of dignity and face for the gym.

Without saying anything more, Lin Yi stepped through the heavy doors of the gym, leaving behind the place filled with blood and violence.

Just as Lin Yi stepped out of the gym, a strong sense of crisis suddenly struck his heart.

His keen intuition, honed by long-term training, allowed him to clearly catch the faint sound of a pistol being cocked in the shadows.

Almost instinctively, Lin Yi flashed to the side. At the same time, the long sword in his hand was already unsheathed, gleaming with cold light, ready to deal with the impending danger.

"Bang!" A crisp gunshot pierced the silent air. The bullet whistled past Lin Yi’s body, missing him by a hair's breadth.

From a dark corner came angry roars: "Die! Die! Die!" The angry voice revealed endless madness and hatred.

Lin Yi looked closely and discovered that the owner of the voice was the daughter of a gym master he had once defeated in the ring.

Her eyes burned with raging flames, locked tightly onto Lin Yi as if she wanted to tear him apart.

Ever since Lin Yi defeated her father with absolute superiority in martial arts, her family's gym had become increasingly desolate, and business had plummeted.

Her father eventually passed away due to his severe, unhealed injuries, which dealt her a massive blow.

Having lost her father, her life fell into despair, and all her anger and hatred focused on Lin Yi.

To seek revenge, she resolutely sold all her family assets to purchase weapons and ammunition, swearing to avenge her father with her own hands.

Lin Yi, however, had already used the surrounding shadows as cover and silently climbed onto the roof.

He looked down from above at the woman who had fallen into madness, a trace of indifference in his eyes.

Using the pipes, Lin Yi performed a perfect buffer in the air, then gripped his long sword tightly and leaped down, as swift as a hunting falcon.

The tip of the sword, carrying a sharp current, tore through the stillness of the air.

The long sword accurately pierced her chest, and the pistol in the woman's hand fell powerlessly under the force.

But she gripped the tip of the sword with an even crazier posture, as if she wanted to fight Lin Yi to the end with her final strength.

"Go... die!" she roared, her voice distorted by extreme pain, yet the flames of madness in her eyes burned even more fiercely.

Just as Lin Yi intended to pull out his sword and leave, the woman's fingers suddenly moved, pressing a hidden button.

Lin Yi immediately became alert to the anomaly around him, and a strong sense of danger surged in his heart.

Without a moment's hesitation, he released the hilt of his sword and rolled behind a wooden crate not far away.

"Boom—!"

Immediately following, a deafening explosion roared in his ears.

Lin Yi felt a powerful shockwave strike him, his body like a lone boat tossed by a giant wave, uncontrollably thrown into the air.

Then, like a broken doll that had lost control, he fell heavily onto the hard ground.

At this moment, Lin Yi’s consciousness became blurred, and everything around him fell into chaos and darkness.

————————

【Body transmission in progress...】

【10%, 50%, 100%, transmission complete. The Hunter's body has been detected to have sustained severe injuries, awaiting repair....】

【Hunter's consciousness not awakened, repair command postponed. Currently maintaining minimum survival state, duration: ten minutes....】

【Beep..., Hunter's talent detected as Growth Talent, survival time extended by two hours.】

In the boundless void, pale blue numbers jumped like ghosts above Lin Yi’s head, displaying the constantly decreasing time, like a cold and ruthless judge counting down his fate.

When Lin Yi gradually awoke from the abyss of unconsciousness, he found that he was not lying on a familiar hospital bed, but in a strange, indescribable space.

He looked around, seeing only emptiness, save for the constantly jumping countdown silently conveying some unknown information.

Lin Yi’s brows were tightly locked, and the unease in his heart surged like a tide.

He did not know why he had come here, or what this strange space signified.

He tried to clear his thoughts, but the pain in his body ruthlessly pulled him back to reality.

He carefully avoided touching his wounds, trying to minimize his suffering.

At the same time, he began to carefully observe this strange space, hoping to find a clue.

However, apart from the constantly decreasing countdown, there seemed to be no other information in this space.

【Hunter, welcome to 'Reincarnation Paradise'.】

"Reincarnation Paradise? What kind of hellish place is this?"

As his vision gradually blurred, Lin Yi finally made out the flickering text in front of him.

His consciousness felt as if it were shrouded in a thin mist—a symptom of excessive blood loss—making him feel weak and dizzy.

Recalling that thrilling explosion, Lin Yi was incredibly lucky to have survived the close-range power of a high-explosive grenade.

Although his physical condition was worrying and the pain from his wounds tore at his nerves, Lin Yi still endured it with astonishing willpower and slowly sat upright.

He looked around, trying to find some clues in this intangible space.

He felt as if he were being gently supported by a mysterious force, which allowed him not to worry about suddenly falling into the endless void.

"Did you save me?"

As a martial artist, Lin Yi was not only proficient in martial arts but also well-versed in medicine.

He understood the principle that medicine and martial arts are inseparable; an excellent martial artist must have a profound understanding of the human body's structure and physiological functions.

At this moment, he closed his eyes to sense the injuries on his body, and a doubt couldn't help but surge in his heart.

Under normal circumstances, his current injuries should have sent him into shock due to massive blood loss within five minutes.

However, strangely, not only was he not in shock, but he was also able to sit up full of vitality.

This made him start to wonder what kind of power was supporting him, allowing him to remain conscious and energetic despite such severe injuries.

【Because the Hunter's consciousness was not awakened after entering the space, the repair command could not be activated. According to Paradise Regulation No. 3485671, the Hunter is temporarily maintained in a minimum survival state. Does the Hunter wish to join 'Reincarnation Paradise'? Everything you want is here.】

Behind this sentence, the pale blue time continued to tick away second by second, each second a reminder of the passing of his life.

【Hunter, please communicate with the 'Paradise' as soon as possible to sign the contract, otherwise you will die in '1 hour and 22 minutes'.】

"Reincarnation Paradise, what do I need to do if I sign the contract?"

Having escaped death, Lin Yi gave a bitter smile; this situation clearly left him no room to refuse.

【By signing the contract, you will shuttle through various 'derivative planes' to complete tasks issued by 'Reincarnation Paradise', obtain 'World Source', and ultimately, the richness of the rewards will be determined by the amount of 'World Source'.】

【'Reincarnation Paradise' is omnipotent.】

"Where is the contract?"

As Lin Yi’s voice fell, the pale blue font in front of him began to fade, and then a piece of ancient-looking parchment popped out of the void, hanging in mid-air.

Lin Yi tried hard to stand up and walk to the parchment, but having lost too much blood, he had no strength to support himself. After Reincarnation Paradise discovered this, the parchment slowly floated in front of Lin Yi.

Looking at the parchment in front of him, Lin Yi wanted to see the content on it, but the text on the parchment was not a language he knew; instead, it was full of strange symbols, with a large blank space at the bottom.

As Lin Yi examined it, a line of text gradually appeared at the bottom of the parchment.

【Sign the contract? Yes/No.】

"I agree to sign the contract."

As soon as Lin Yi’s voice fell, his hand was raised uncontrollably, and his thumb pressed against the blank space on the parchment.

A stinging pain came from his fingertip, as if a needle had suddenly pierced Lin Yi’s finger. A smear of bright red blood stained the parchment, and the entire parchment turned pale red, revealing a faint scent of blood.

【Contract established! Commencing repair of Hunter's injuries.】

A pale green light appeared around Lin Yi, clinging to his body. Within a few seconds, his injuries were completely healed.

【Injury repair complete, forced awakening of Hunter's talent.】

Just as his body returned to normal and Lin Yi hadn't even had time to catch his breath, an unbearable, excruciating pain suddenly swept over him, as if countless needle tips were piercing his body at the same time.

This pain was beyond imagination; even Lin Yi, who was born into martial arts and had a firm will, could not resist it.

His legs went weak, and he fell to his knees involuntarily. His hands were clenched into fists, and the veins on his arms bulged, showing that he was struggling hard against the intense pain.

Due to clenching his teeth too hard, Lin Yi’s gums bled. He felt as if the bones and muscles all over his body were being scraped away piece by piece with a knife; the heart-wrenching pain made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

In just ten seconds, his back was completely soaked with sweat, as if he had just been fished out of water.

When the pain finally disappeared, Lin Yi collapsed beside the parchment.

He gasped for air, as if he wanted to expel the suffocating pain he had just experienced out of his body.

【Semi-digitization enabled.】

【Warning: 'Semi-digitization' is an auxiliary combat ability. If vital organs such as the heart or brain are severely damaged, the Hunter will still die. Please handle 'derivative planes' with caution.】

【Hunter's exclusive trial begins. If the trial cannot be completed, the 'Paradise' will strip the Hunter of their status and they will become an ordinary contractor. If you die during a mission, the Hunter will die permanently.】

【Paradise Regulation: Everything shall be exchanged at an equivalent value.】

【Transmission starting...】

(End of chapter)