Hunter 108: The Outcast

The familiar sensation of teleportation washed over Lin Jiu as he opened his eyes and found himself back in his private room.

"[Hunter Level: Lv.6. You will be notified 30 minutes prior to entering the derivative world. You will enter the derivative world in one hour. Please wait patiently.]"

Returning to Reincarnation Paradise, Lin Jiu still had 80,000 Paradise Coins in hand. While this wasn't a huge amount, it would be enough to purchase two blue-tier items, which would take up most of his funds.

However, Lin Jiu didn't need to restock much gear at the moment, except for his upper body armor. The [Hunter's Leather Armor] suited hunters like him but offered very little protection. In most battles, Lin Jiu ended up removing the armor altogether.

With that thought, Lin Jiu left his private room and headed to the trading market. He first replenished a supply of quality recovery items, spending 30,000 Paradise Coins.

After browsing the market, he still couldn't find suitable armor. However, he overheard other contractors discussing a merchant guild established by someone named Daxius.

The relatively small auction organized by Daxius had been quite successful and had concluded perfectly. Currently, Daxius has considerable resources and Paradise Coins at his disposal, but Lin Jiu has no intention of sourcing supplies from him.

Whether it was paying for the auction venue or expanding the guild's operations, Daxius needed financial support. At this point, Daxius was actually in more need of money than Lin Jiu.

If Lin Jiu approached him now, he feared that his remaining 50,000 Paradise Coins would quickly be taken by Daxius.

Lin Jiu spent a few dozen Paradise Coins to purchase detailed information from a professional contractor and review it.

The trading market in Reincarnation Paradise was only so big, with established guilds like Red Maple Guild and Black Sail Guild already holding firm positions. Only niche businesses, like gem merchants, managed to carve out a necessary and profitable sector.

It wasn't that newcomers couldn't break into the market—this was Reincarnation Paradise, after all, where strength ruled. For instance, the Shenhuang Adventure Group, upon growing in power, established the Aries Guild, which quickly rose to prominence, backed by their strength.

The Shenhuang Adventure Group possessed great strength, and other guilds would be reluctant to provoke or suppress them. The valuable items they obtained in derivative worlds also helped the Aries Guild make a name for itself.

But Daxius was different. He was just a contractor, and the Lin Jiu backing him was merely a first-tier contractor. Naturally, the established guilds immediately investigated Daxius's background.

However, apart from his chaotic exploits in the Dororo derivative world and his failure to pass the assessment to become a contractor, they found no other useful information. Even a costly investigation into his real-world background yielded nothing!

Once Daxius established the name of his guild, all these actions ceased. The Red Maple Guild, Black Sail Guild, and others tacitly accepted this new guild's entry into the market.

Why?

Because the guild was called the Reincarnation Guild, and this was Reincarnation Paradise. It wasn't exactly a semi-official guild, but it was close enough that no contractor would believe otherwise.

In truth, Reincarnation Paradise was intentionally cultivating an official guild. During events like wars or world battles, where macro control was necessary, Daxius's guild could perfectly regulate the market.

These requirements were clearly stated in Daxius's contract. Lin Jiu knew this well, so he wasn't too worried about the development of Daxius's guild.

"[Hunter will enter the derivative world: The Outcast in 30 minutes.]"

Receiving the notification of his next derivative world, Lin Jiu's eyes narrowed. He was quite familiar with this anime.

The show didn't feature overly extraordinary creatures, with most of them concentrated in the northeastern region. The immortals from the northeast were more spiritual beings, which explained their fear of those who could command spirits. However, encountering their physical forms was a different story—they were as dangerous as encountering a super-dangerous species in the Akame ga Kill world.

Aside from these immortals, the plot primarily revolved around the Chaos of the Jia Shen Year and the Eight Mysterious Skills. Various factions, including the Quanzhen Sect, Zhengyi Sect, and other groups, were all vying for power, with countless unseen forces lurking in the shadows.

Compared to his previous derivative world, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, where the timeline was too distant and missions were sparse, this derivative world had much more potential to explore.

Most contractors couldn't handle the physical forms of those immortals, so material drops were rare. In this derivative world, the most valuable rewards were the various martial arts techniques from different sects. These techniques were highly sought after in the Reincarnation Paradise market!

High-level skills like the Eight Mystrious Skills, Dan Devour, and the Five Thunder Technique were especially coveted.

"[Time's up. Derivative World: The Outcast is opening. No anomalies detected, spatial coordinates stable, consuming 0.011 ounces of temporal force.]"

"[Based on consumed temporal force, the contractor's minimum comprehensive evaluation for this world must be D+ grade.]"

Shaking off the daze of being knocked out, Lin Jiu immediately surveyed his surroundings, frowning. He saw no other contractors nearby, which was not a good sign.

In the previous derivative world, he had started as a statue and also saw no other contractors nearby. By now, he shouldn't be triggering Reincarnation Paradise's protective mechanism against other contractors.

Moreover, he wasn't the type to kill indiscriminately, so there was no need to isolate him like this.

He found himself in a small room, clean and well-kept despite its modest size. A stream of information entered his mind, detailing his identity in this world.

In a derivative world where an identity needed to be crafted, contractors could spend some Paradise Coins to purchase a pre-defined identity. Su Xiao had encountered this in his first derivative world after the trial.

However, Lin Jiu hadn't exchanged anything for this derivative world. Since his identity had been arranged, there must be a special reason for it.

His identity was that of an orphan adopted by a wandering monk suspected of being a foreigner. The monk had passed away a few years ago, and Lin Jiu was now living as a dropout.

Reincarnation Paradise also provided him with information and a main storyline for this world.

"[Entering World: The Outcast]"

World Difficulty: LV.8 (Hard).

World Source: 0%. (Exploration and interaction with characters in this world will increase this percentage, which will be factored into the final evaluation alongside mission difficulty.)

World Overview: In 1944, a brutal battle unfolded among the different factions, with major groups like the Quanzhen Sect and Zhengyi Sect allowing the conflict to escalate. This became one of the most significant wars in history. The leaders of these groups were tight-lipped about the cause of the conflict, but in truth, it was a fierce competition between eight individuals and the Eight Mysterious Skills.

Outcast: Individuals who can sense and harness the Qi within themselves. Mastery usually requires rigorous training and systematic guidance. Outcast are classified into two types: innate and acquired.

Innate Qi: Aside from inheriting basic physical materials like flesh and blood from the previous generation, living beings also inherit abstract energy, allowing them to grow, think, and transform from mere flesh to sentient beings with souls. The first to recognize this inherited energy called it "Innate Qi."

Eight Mysterious Skills: Qi Manipulation, Wind Queen's Secret Techniques, Hundred Refinements of Divine Craft, Commanding Spirits, Six Immortal Thieves, Great Luo's Sight, Celestial Seal, and Double Hand Techniques.

Main Quest: Raten Taishō

Main Quest: Eight Mysterious Skills

Achievement Quest: Plunderer