Chapter 31: Inheritance

When Lin Yi regained consciousness, he found himself in an empty room.

The room was somewhat strange; it was enclosed by four completely sealed walls with no windows or doors. The ceiling emitted a faint glow, making the room quite bright, and the temperature was pleasant, preventing any feeling of stuffiness.

【Teleportation complete. Hunter has returned to the Private Room.】

【The Private Room is an absolute safe zone. No one can enter unless permitted by the Hunter.】

【The Hunter has returned to the Reincarnation Paradise. Commencing settlement of mission rewards.】

Derivative World: Highschool of the Dead.

Difficulty: Lv.2 (Hard).

World Source Obtained: 58.6%.

Number of Missions Completed: 2 (Main Mission: Find the source of the corpse outbreak; Side Mission: Kota Hirano's Request.)

Comprehensive Evaluation: S-. (Note: Ratings range from E- to S+. The comprehensive evaluation is calculated based on the total World Source obtained and the number of missions completed.)

Because the world level exceeded the Hunter's level of Lv.1, the difficulty was set to Hard, increasing rewards by 20%.

Commencing collection of World Source...

World Source collection complete. Commencing distribution of rewards.

Rewards obtained: 18 Attribute Points, 36,000 Paradise Coins. (These are the values after the increase.)

With a comprehensive evaluation of S-, the Hunter's level increases by +1, upgrading to Lv.2. (Level increases based on rating; since this was a trial world, the increment limit was set to LV.1.)

Settlement complete. Rewards have been automatically deposited into the Hunter's Brand.

Unfortunately, Lin Yi was currently in no state to listen to the prompts of the Reincarnation Paradise. He was sprawled painfully on the floor, clutching his head tightly with both hands, struggling incessantly.

The bone-deep agony felt as if a red-hot iron rod had been ruthlessly driven into his brain, causing a splitting headache that was almost unbearable.

In this critical moment, Lin Yi gritted his teeth and squeezed out a single, difficult sentence: "Recover... now!"

As his voice fell, the Reincarnation Paradise's recovery authority was activated, beginning to exert its full power to treat Lin Yi's injuries.

A green light gradually enveloped Lin Yi's body, and a warm, gentle energy began to circulate through his system.

In just a single second, the ribs broken by Qurban's punch miraculously returned to normal.

Not a single trace of injury could be found on the surface of Lin Yi's body, as if his previous wounds had been nothing more than a dream.

However, Lin Yi was still rolling on the floor, clutching his head in agony.

His face was pale, and beads of sweat as large as beans rolled from his forehead; clearly, he was enduring unspeakable pain.

The recovery authority granted to novices was too low to eradicate the Progenitor Virus that had mixed with the Abyss Power.

This virus was extremely troublesome, running rampant within Lin Yi's body, continuously eroding both his physical form and his will.

Although his superficial injuries had healed, the presence of the virus kept Lin Yi in excruciating torment.

【According to Reincarnation Paradise Regulation No. 387671, once a Hunter completes a hunting trial, the Reincarnation Paradise must ensure the Hunter's safety.】

After a few seconds of silence, a blue light appeared in the room and enveloped Lin Yi's body. In the next second, Lin Yi's body vanished from his personal space.

When Lin Yi regained consciousness again, he found himself lying beside a vast lake.

Beside the lake stood a small wooden cabin, looking peaceful and cozy.

At that moment, a young girl dressed in white robes walked over from the cabin.

A faint smile played on her lips, and when her gaze fell upon Lin Yi, a flicker of curiosity and surprise flashed in her eyes, as if she had spotted something amusing.

"The Reincarnation Paradise actually deigned to send someone over. Let me see what's going on," the girl said softly. She crouched down and placed her index finger gently on Lin Yi's head.

In that instant, Lin Yi felt a gentle force surge into his body.

This power was warm and tranquil, as if it could soothe all his pain and struggle.

However, the moment the Abyss Power within him was sensed by the girl, her body immediately showed signs of abnormality.

Her originally pure white skin began to crack, and countless streaks of pitch-black Abyss Power moved incessantly within her body.

These forces seemed to have received some sort of summons, becoming exceptionally violent and restless.

"Quiet! I finally found a suitable one, don't interrupt me," the girl scolded softly.

As her voice fell, the Abyss Power within her body gradually returned to calm. She took a deep breath, and a smile reappeared on her face.

"It seems your luck is quite good, to actually be infected by such a rare amount of Abyss Power. But don't worry, I will help you solve this problem," the girl said tenderly. Her voice seemed to possess a magical quality that made Lin Yi feel an immense sense of peace and trust.

Understanding the intention of the Reincarnation Paradise, the girl grabbed Lin Yi by the ankle without hesitation and dragged him toward the lakeside.

Upon reaching the shore, a mischievous smile appeared on her face, and she tossed Lin Yi into the lake before her.

"You'd better make sure you climb out, otherwise, you really will die in there." The girl tossed out this lighthearted remark and left the lakeside without looking back.

The moment Lin Yi was thrown into the lake, the calm surface instantly erupted into massive waves.

This lake was composed of high-concentration Abyss Power; for an ordinary person, let alone touching it, even avoiding it would be impossible.

However, Lin Yi was now in the midst of it, engaged in a fierce struggle with the Abyss Power.

Time passed minute by minute. Lin Yi struggled in the lake water, his body being ruthlessly eroded by the Abyss Power as if he might collapse at any moment.

Standing in the distance, the girl wore a trace of worry on her face.

She had thought Lin Yi wouldn't make it, but just as she was about to give up, a hand suddenly entered her field of vision.

The girl's eyes widened, staring at the scene before her in disbelief.

She rubbed her eyes to confirm she wasn't mistaken, then ran and hopped her way to the lakeside, grabbing Lin Yi's hand and pulling him out of the water.

"I almost thought you were going to die in there," the girl said, letting out a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Lin Yi looked wretched. His body was covered in flickering cracks, much like the girl's had been, through which high-concentration Abyss Power could clearly be seen surging within him.

Lin Yi's ability to survive was entirely thanks to Qurban's Progenitor Virus.

The moment the two different types of Abyss Power came into contact, a violent struggle erupted between them.

This force raged within Lin Yi, seemingly intent on tearing his body apart.

However, at this life-or-death moment, Lin Yi seized the brief window of opportunity created by the fusion of the two different concentrations of Abyss Power.

With all his might, he grabbed onto the mud and grass roots on the shore; this was the absolute limit of what he could do.

"Successor, remember the name we share. We are Abyss Physicians. We come from the Abyss, and in the end, we shall return to the Abyss."

As the girl's words fell, Lin Yi felt the world spinning; the entire world seemed to revolve before his eyes.

He struggled to remain conscious, but the intense dizziness was irresistible, and he finally sank into darkness.