After Su Xiao drove his blade through two people, he immediately noticed a faint red health bar appear above Oka's head.
No doubt, this was Oka's remaining life value. The blow had pierced his spine, leaving him in a state of pseudo-death—not completely dead, but rendered immobile, with his brain still functioning.
This was Su Xiao's first time seeing a health bar. When he had previously killed the black-market merchant with a headshot, no health bar had shown up.
Clearly, this was one of the benefits of partial datafication in the world—it allowed him to gauge whether an enemy was dead and estimate their remaining HP.
Right now, Oka's health was down to about 5%, essentially on death's doorstep.
Su Xiao withdrew his blade from the back of Oka's skull, shifted his grip from reverse to forward, and slashed cleanly across Oka's neck.
"Splat."
Blood sprayed several meters into the air. A few drops landed on Su Xiao's face, making him look all the more cold and ruthless.
Oka's head flew from his body. The health bar disappeared instantly.
….
[You have killed Guard Captain Brandon Oka.]
[Brandon Oka was an official of the Goa Kingdom. You have gained 3.6% World Source. Total World Source: 5.7%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated. +10 permanent Mana. Current Mana: 75.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated. +1 permanent Mana. Current Mana: 76.]
….
Su Xiao only skimmed the notifications.
He hadn't expected to receive World Source from killing Oka. That meant killing stronger enemies would likely yield more World Source.
If he could somehow take out a top-tier figure like Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku or one of the Four Emperors like Red-Haired Shanks, the amount of World Source earned would surely be insane.
But that was nothing more than wishful thinking for now. Su Xiao couldn't even meet such figures, let alone fight them—it'd be suicide.
The exact purpose of World Source was still unclear. Reincarnation Paradise had only hinted that it would affect the rewards he'd receive upon leaving the One Piece world.
Those rewards might be the key to becoming stronger.
Sure, there were many ways to grow stronger in the One Piece world, but all of them required time—something Su Xiao severely lacked. He only had 72 hours total, and now just over 60 hours remained. Being able to complete the mission in that time would already be a stroke of luck. There was no time for detours.
As for Devil Fruits, those legendary items were completely out of reach. Without a solid foundation of strength, he wasn't even qualified to search for or fight over one.
He was still just a human with above-average physical fitness—nowhere near the level of the true monsters in this world.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao's first mission world wouldn't be something as high-risk as One Piece. But thanks to his identity as a Hunter, he had been thrown into the deep end.
It was like throwing a Level 1 rookie into a high-level zone where even the weakest enemies were boss-level threats.
The fact that Su Xiao had made it this far was already exceptional. If it had been a normal contractee, they likely wouldn't have made it past the junkyard outside the capital.
Putting aside the World Source for now, what really confused him was the Mana he'd gained.
He had no skills that used Mana, so having more of it was basically meaningless to him at this point.
Still, every beginning is difficult. He would have to rely on himself.
A white treasure chest floated up from Oka's corpse—it looked just like the one Su Xiao had opened before.
He picked it up and stored it away without opening it immediately, then quickly left the scene.
He was currently still a city guard, and that identity was very important to him.
If anyone found out he had killed Guard Captain Oka, he would instantly become a wanted criminal in the Goa Kingdom.
If that happened, completing the mission would be near impossible—he'd be too busy running from soldiers.
The cool night wind tousled Su Xiao's black hair and helped carry away the scent of blood on him.
He returned to the house where he had bathed earlier and checked the security measures he had left behind—a snapped twig and some stray hairs. No signs of tampering. It was safe.
Once inside, he didn't turn on any lights. He sat quietly in the dark bedroom and pulled out the treasure chest he had just earned.
[White Treasure Chest – Open? Yes/No]
He chose Yes.
A necklace appeared in his hand.
[You have opened a White Treasure Chest and received the following items:]
[300 Paradise Coins]
[Item: Dead Wife's Pendant]
[Dead Wife's Pendant (White Quality)]
[Origin: One Piece world – Garrett Jewelry Company]
[Type: Accessory (accessory gear is rare)]
[Durability: None (accessories don't require repairs)]
[Equip Requirement: Usable by anyone]
[Effect: +1 Strength]
[Rating: 8 (Note: White gear rating ranges from 1 to 10; 10-rated gear is marked 'Rare' and may have special effects.)]
[Description: "I love you the same way you love those mistresses…" – Oka's wife before committing suicide.
[Value: 1600 Paradise Coins]
Clutching the necklace, a smile crept across Su Xiao's face.
He had finally—finally—found a way to get stronger. This pendant actually boosted his Strength stat.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Su Xiao calmed himself and equipped the pendant.
He checked his personal stats again. His original Strength of 6 had now become 7.
A surge of energy coursed through his body. Su Xiao could clearly feel his strength had increased significantly.
Raising Strength to 7 didn't just mean a simple 1/6 boost—it was a major leap.
This showed that every single point in an attribute brought massive changes. It wasn't just simple arithmetic.
"Reincarnation Paradise... what a mysterious place."
Su Xiao clenched his fists. His knuckles cracked as power surged through his limbs.
The sensation of growing stronger so suddenly was intoxicating—but he wasn't lost in it.
He knew that this strength came from external equipment. Once the pendant was removed, his Strength would drop again.
He couldn't afford to let it get to his head.
Then a new thought occurred to him: this necklace had belonged to Oka. There was a chance someone might recognize it—which would spell big trouble.
Just as he was worrying about this, a faint line of text suddenly appeared in his vision, barely visible:
[Enable Hidden Equipment Function? Cost: 100 Paradise Coins. This is a permanent feature.]
Su Xiao wasn't sure how valuable 100 coins were yet, but he knew one thing: every coin had been earned with blood.
Even so, this function was clearly practical—and he activated it without hesitation.
[You have enabled the Hidden Equipment Function. You can now choose to hide equipped accessories. Weapons cannot be hidden.]
The pendant around his neck faded from view, but the Strength bonus remained. Su Xiao was very satisfied—these 100 coins were well spent.
When he had first arrived in Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao had doubted its intentions. Why would such a mysterious, powerful entity help him?
But now it seemed clear: complete the missions, and Reincarnation Paradise would reward him.
As for whether Reincarnation Paradise might harm him—Su Xiao didn't care for now.
After all, it had saved him from certain death, healed his fatal wounds, and transported him to this world. That alone proved its overwhelming power.
He wasn't the kind of person to worry needlessly. If Reincarnation Paradise really wanted to kill him, why go through the trouble of saving him in the first place?
Even if he was being used, Su Xiao could benefit from that relationship. He could gain something he could never get in the real world—power.
Maybe after completing this first mission, he would gain a deeper understanding of this strange system. But for now, becoming stronger was the only thing that mattered.
"Weakness is a sin."
Su Xiao knew that all too well. If he'd been strong enough back then, that tragedy could've been avoided.
The blood-soaked white floor, the shattered bodies, and that one...
Su Xiao forced the memories away, his dark eyes wide open in the pitch-black room.
He lay in bed, unable to sleep. But he still forced himself to rest.
He had a lot to do tomorrow, and proper rest was vital for keeping his edge.
The stage had been set. If all went well, Su Xiao was confident he could kill the king of the Goa Kingdom.
And not just kill him—get out alive.
He was a man on a mission, not some assassin from Reincarnation Paradise.
There was a fundamental difference.
An assassin was a pawn. Su Xiao had a clear goal.
(End of Chapter)