Chapter 40: Demon Slayer

"Customer, you've finally arrived." The stall owner's gaze swept lightly across Lin Yi's face, recognizing him as the customer who had pre-ordered goods.

A smile as warm as a spring breeze immediately bloomed on his face, masking much of the weathered traces of time.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late," Lin Yi said, scratching his head with a hint of apology.

He had been busy dealing with other matters and had completely forgotten about this until he returned to the Reincarnation Paradise and suddenly remembered.

"It's fine, it's fine. As long as you're here, it's fine." The stall owner didn't mind at all; instead, he enthusiastically pulled a compression capsule from his somewhat old clothing pocket. "This is the Deluxe Wilderness Survival Ten-Piece Set you pre-ordered. The entire set is packed into this little capsule."

He handed the capsule to Lin Yi, his tone revealing a hint of pride: "I'm not bragging, but the functions of this ten-piece set are incredibly powerful. As long as you don't fall directly into lava, it can allow you to survive in the wild safely for a long time."

Taking the capsule, Lin Yi couldn't help but marvel at the value of this transaction.

One had to realize that for this so-called "Deluxe Wilderness Survival Ten-Piece Set," he had to pay nearly five thousand Paradise Coins.

For someone whose funds were already tight, this was undoubtedly a massive expense.

But thinking of the dangers of the derivative worlds, he felt it was all worth it.

"How much are these supplies on your stall?" After putting away the capsule containing the survival equipment, Lin Yi squatted in front of the stall with interest, his eyes scanning the various types of supplies.

The stall owner smiled slightly and pointed to the goods on the stall. "These on the right, the white ones are 100 to 200 Paradise Coins, and the green ones are 1,000 to 1,500 Paradise Coins. The ones on the left are more expensive: the white ones are 500 to 1,000 Paradise Coins, and the green ones are 2,500 to 3,000 Paradise Coins."

Hearing the prices, Lin Yi's eye twitched, and he clicked his tongue inwardly.

After paying for the deluxe survival set, his balance only had 5,289 Paradise Coins left.

With this amount, even a little shopping would wipe him out.

Left with no choice, Lin Yi could only pick carefully, finally selecting one bottle of [Emergency Life Recovery Potion], two portions of [Blazing Eggs], and one [Seafood Feast].

"How much for all of these?" Lin Yi asked.

"Thank you for your patronage. That will be 4,600 Paradise Coins in total," the stall owner said, quickly calculating the bill before announcing the figure.

Once the transaction was complete, the stall owner handed Lin Yi a black card. "This is our Black Sail Chamber of Commerce contact card. If you encounter any difficulties or need supplies in a derivative world, as long as this card feels warm, it means one of our people is nearby. You can find them to trade at that time."

Lin Yi took the card and glanced at the black sailing ship logo printed on it, thinking to himself, *Black Sail Chamber of Commerce? That name sounds like a crooked organization.*

However, in a place like the Reincarnation Paradise, sometimes one truly needed to rely on the power of certain chambers of commerce to survive better.

Just as Lin Yi was preparing to leave the bustling market, the characteristic notification sound of the Reincarnation Paradise suddenly rang in his ears, punctual and ruthless like a bell of fate.

[Hunters will enter the derivative world: Demon Slayer in ten minutes.]

This sudden news seemed to freeze the surrounding air for a moment.

Lin Yi noticed that the expressions of many contractors around him instantly turned solemn, and a flicker of fear flashed in some people's eyes.

Even the workers, who were usually composed, were now hurriedly packing up their stalls to prepare for the upcoming challenge.

This scene made Lin Yi realize that everyone's entry into the derivative worlds seemed to be around the same time, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty and tension of the mission.

Right then, a woman's scream suddenly rang out from beside him: "The Death World!!!"

Her voice was filled with terror and helplessness, making one feel an instinctive sense of sympathy.

Lin Yi couldn't help but turn to look, seeing the woman pale-faced, sitting on the ground with her body trembling slightly.

*What terrible luck,* Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

[Time is up. Derivative World: Demon Slayer is opening. No abnormalities in this world, spatial coordinates are stable. Spacetime energy consumed: 0.015 ounces.]

[Due to the consumption of 0.015 ounces of spacetime energy, the contractor's minimum comprehensive rating in this world must reach Grade D.]

The familiar sensation of teleportation surged, and Lin Yi felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, falling into a brief trance.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself in the middle of an empty wilderness.

The night was as dark as ink, and everything around him was pitch black, with only the sounds of insects rising and falling in the silent night, adding a touch of life to the wilderness.

Looking along the road, Lin Yi could vaguely see the silhouette of a mansion shimmering in the distance through the darkness.

However, just as he was about to step forward, something unexpected happened.

A ring of light membrane appeared out of thin air, gently pushing him back to his original spot.

At the same time, a countdown appeared before his eyes: 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Lin Yi instantly understood the situation; it seemed he needed to wait for these 4 minutes and 30 seconds to pass before he could leave this area.

He looked around and found that he wasn't the only one trapped.

There were about a dozen other contractors not far away, including a few he recognized—members of the adventure team he had encountered not long ago.

"Doctor, I didn't expect such a coincidence!" a familiar voice called out. A member of the adventure team who had spoken with Lin Yi earlier walked over with a smile. "How about it? Want to form a temporary adventure team and get through this derivative world together?"

As the man spoke, everyone's gaze gathered on Lin Yi.

When they saw the white priest robes Lin Yi was wearing and the staff in his hand, excitement appeared on many faces.

In a derivative world filled with danger and the unknown, a healing profession was undoubtedly a precious asset that every team craved.

"Sure."

A temporary adventure team was relatively reliable, as members could not attack each other within the derivative world, but there was one drawback: a contractor could forcibly leave a temporary adventure team by simply paying a breach-of-contract fee of 10,000 Paradise Coins.

Hearing Lin Yi's agreement, the man quickly sent an application to the Reincarnation Paradise. Soon, a prompt appeared before Lin Yi; after he confirmed his consent, the man introduced the other members of the adventure team to him.

"I am [Old Wolf], serving as the main tank and team commander."

Then he pointed to a member beside him and said, "This is [Daybreak], our team's sharpshooter. All our long-range fire support depends on him."

Next, he pointed to another somewhat silent member, "He is [Ghost], serving as the scout, responsible for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering."

Finally, he introduced a mage, "This is [Rainstorm]. His magical attacks are extremely powerful; he is the absolute main force when fighting bosses."

Following Old Wolf's introduction, the other members of the team also nodded to Lin Yi, expressing their sincere welcome to his joining.

(End of Chapter)