Mercenary Tao’s Pursuit Order (3K)

You activated a Scarlet Drop Card

Drop activation in progress...

Calculating target kill points. Target kill points: 44. Rewards increased.

Based on the effects of Omen of the Evil God: Cocoon of Greed, rewards increased by 50%.

Based on the effects of Omen of the Evil God: Cocoon of Greed, you will additionally receive 1 reward selection.

Calculation complete. For this activation, you may select 2 of the following rewards.

A: 100% of the Dimensional Points

B: 4 items from the Backpack

C: Add an additional 20% of the primary attribute to your own attributes

D: Randomly draw 1 specialty, retaining up to Lv7

E: Randomly obtain 1 ability, retaining only up to Lv4

Bai Cangshu discovered that after completing Sequence Ascension, the rewards from activating Scarlet Drop Cards had indeed improved considerably. Whether it was the number of Dimensional Points, the number of items drawn, or the specialty and ability levels that could be retained, all had been raised.

Moreover, as his Karma Points increased and his sequence underwent further ascension, he would most likely be able to continuously deepen this capability. Perhaps someday in the future, activating a Scarlet Drop Card would allow him to directly designate and obtain one of an opponent’s complete abilities, all of their items, or even a large amount of attributes…

"Choose C and E."

Because the Space had designated Bai Cangshu as having a balanced four-attribute talent, his demand for attribute points was extremely high. Whenever he activated a Scarlet Drop, he would basically choose attributes.

As for choosing an ability, it was purely because he currently had a slave, Li Qingzi. He was relatively unconcerned about Dimensional Points, and he had not seen the other party use any special items in the previous battle. So he could only choose from abilities and specialties.

You selected C: Attribute Extraction

Your Agility increased by 2 points. Current: 32

You selected E: Ability Extraction

Extracting...

You obtained the ability Lingering Hatred Lv4 (B-)

A flash of light appeared in Bai Cangshu’s hand, and a scroll materialized there. Unsteady Nen Aura still flickered across it. This was probably the last trace that man had left in the world.

Lingering Hatred Lv4 (B-)

Quality: Rare

Description: Records a Nen Ability developed by a Manipulator Nen User, along with their insights

Usage Requirement: Possess Special Specialty: Nen Ability Specialization

Effect: Upon use, gain the Lv4 Nen Ability Lingering Hatred (non-Manipulator Nen Users may only use its Lv1 effect). Lingering Hatred may be placed anywhere. Thereafter, the user may use Nen Aura to lock any attack onto Lingering Hatred.

Bai Cangshu merely glanced at it twice before putting it into his Backpack. Nen Abilities were also highly sought-after enhancements in the Space. This Ability Scroll should fetch a good price.

Bai Cangshu then returned to his small building. Lilith was hiding inside, still somewhat frightened. Seeing Mercenary Tao return, she did not know whether she should feel disappointed or happy.

Earlier, through the Space Panel, she had discovered that two more members of her team had died. However, Loka and Short Hair, the two people closest to her, were both still alive.

She quietly told him this information, though she did not understand the meaning of doing so. Was she trying to curry favor with Mercenary Tao in the hope that he would spare her, or did she secretly want to beg him to save those two people? Perhaps it was both…

Bai Cangshu returned to the kitchen and cooked the chunks of meat he had taken from that Giant Goblin’s corpse.

Now that he had obtained the Chef skill, how could he fail to put it to proper use? When he had blasted the Goblin apart, he had grabbed several chunks of meat and brought them back.

He had only cooked them casually, yet under the ability’s effects, an exotic fragrance filled the air. Even the timid Lilith sniffed the air and unconsciously edged closer.

You consumed a specially cooked piece of Goblin meat.

Ingredient Grade: Common

Deliciousness Grade: Excellent

Gourmet Cells gained significant growth. Current: Lv1 (75/100)

Milestone: Gourmet triggered. You obtained the temporary buff Body Enlargement (Rare).

Body Enlargement (Rare): Your body will become slightly larger, and you will receive additional Strength and Constitution bonuses (+3). Duration: 30 minutes.

Not only had his Gourmet Cells gained 66 growth points, almost crossing more than half a level in an instant, but the Gourmet milestone had also granted him a rare buff.

Bai Cangshu planned to hunt more monsters in the coming days. Gourmet Cells clearly had far greater demands for deliciousness than for ingredient grade.

He intended to keep portions of every prey he killed afterward for cooking. The Gourmet Cells had to level up quickly before they could provide him with sufficient attribute bonuses.

Z-City had been far more dilapidated than ordinary cities due to the frequent appearance of monsters in the past. Later, during that great war against the Monster Association, it had been almost completely destroyed. Although it was rebuilt afterward, its scale had shrunk by more than a little.

A team clad in gray cloaks was now walking back from the ruins of Z-City, which had been swallowed by yellow sand. Several of them shook the windblown dust from their bodies, extravagantly taking out large quantities of drinking water to wash their hair and faces.

While the others cleaned themselves, the shapely Flower Immortal moved from the rear of the group to the front and asked the man leading them.

"Lord Sage, did the operation over there succeed?"

"Was Mercenary Tao eliminated?"

She cared about Mercenary Tao far more than anyone else did.

Because she knew that Luoxi would not let her go. It was not that she cared much about that idiot Rose Tiger, but Luoxi hated her betrayal.

That woman would definitely hire Mercenary Tao to hunt her down…

And whenever she thought about how quickly Mercenary Tao had risen, as well as the Reincarnators who had died at his hands along the way, Flower Immortal’s heart sank.

Lord Sage glanced at Flower Immortal before saying in a low voice, "Clean."

The sand and grime covering his body vanished in an instant.

"Lord Sage, that Mercenary Tao is truly troublesome. Since we haven’t found Saitama’s old home, why don’t we kill Mercenary Tao first and obtain that thing from Luoxi…"

Flower Immortal was extremely stubborn, but Lord Sage was growing increasingly disgusted with this woman who had betrayed her former team. He said, "Shut up!"

Flower Immortal instantly felt as though her mouth had been sewn shut. No matter what she did, she could not open it, as if she had lost control over her mouth.

Her face turned pale, and she no longer dared to speak.

Fortunately, another person stepped forward at that moment. He was a man with long red hair, looking quite uninhibited. Codenamed Red Dust, he was deeply trusted by Lord Sage and was the second-in-command of this team.

"Lord Sage, I think we really should pay attention to Mercenary Tao."

"Tree Herder and Spirit Walker have just jointly announced that someone violated the Iron Rule. They suspect the target is the vicious man, Mercenary Tao. They arranged for the mercenary squad Blackwater to try and eliminate him, but the first operation has already failed. Blackwater’s Wildfire has fallen."

Blackwater was another renowned Reincarnator team of the Second Tier. It was extremely disciplined, and it was speculated that its members all possessed some military background. The team was large and operated in squads.

Wildfire could be considered an outstanding Reincarnator with a good reputation. No one had expected him to fall so quickly.

Lord Sage frowned. The so-called Iron Rule was naturally a rule that Title-level Reincarnators were implicitly expected to obey in high-risk mission worlds.

In general, the rules revolved around certain monster-level Plot Characters who could not be matched. They required all Reincarnators not to involve themselves in related plotlines, nor attempt in any form to alter the development or trajectory of those Plot Characters.

Because even the slightest change could easily cause a terrifying butterfly effect. Once Plot Characters of that level acted, Reincarnators would have no room to resist.

There had even been a tragedy in a high-risk world where a powerful Plot Character slaughtered every High-tier Reincarnator in an entire faction.

That was how the Iron Rule had ultimately come into being.

After thinking for a moment, Lord Sage was still unwilling to give up on finding clues regarding the Limiter. He looked at Red Dust and Flower Immortal before finally saying, "Then Red Dust, take Flower Immortal and select two more people. Go deal with that Mercenary Tao. I believe Tree Herder and Spirit Walker’s side will also send people to act."

"As for that dead Wildfire, I recall the captain of his squad is that troublesome fellow, right? With people like you acting, dealing with someone who is at most Strong-Upper Tier will be more than enough."

Red Dust nodded, then added with a smile, "Wildfire’s captain is that immortal Millennium Worm, isn’t he? An Ajin bloodline. He really is a troublesome fellow, haha…"

Hearing this arrangement, Flower Immortal relaxed somewhat. Several powerful Title-level Reincarnators had dispatched elite forces. This was already a lineup intended to wipe out an elite Second Tier squad.

No matter how strong Mercenary Tao was alone, he could not possibly be a match for such a lineup.

Besides…

Flower Immortal looked at Red Dust. She knew very well that this red-haired man possessed extraordinary combat power himself and had also entered the Third Tier. The only reason he was not Title-level was that he disdained those mass-produced, useless titles…

"Lunar Eclipse, as your first assignment after joining the organization, I want you to investigate the true identity of that Nameless Hero."

Inside a luxurious open-plan apartment, a man with short red hair sat at the head of the room in a crisp suit and issued this order.

Li Qingzi held her sword and wore a half-mask. She merely nodded coldly. This ruthless manner of doing things perfectly suited Suzuki Toichiro’s organizational style.

He intended to use the Claw Organization to prove that those with power could rule the entire world with such indifference.

Of course, to truly obtain the entire world, they still had a task that had to be completed: eliminate the culprit who had utterly destroyed Seasoning City—the monster of unknown identity!

"Shimazaki Ryo, you and Midnight Watch will find Tatsumaki, known as the world’s strongest Supernatural Ability User, and invite her to join us."

"Ha?!"

Li Qingzi heard Heart Demon’s voice, but she could not locate her. Yet simply from her tone, Li Qingzi knew that she was in a very bad mood right now.

An imperceptible curve formed at the corner of Li Qingzi’s lips. She gently stroked her Gantz Sword as killing intent stirred within her.

She knew very well that since Bai Cangshu had appeared under the name Hero for Fun, he must have known it would draw pursuit from the Reincarnators.

But that madman did not care. He only wanted to kill everyone else, or be killed by them.

Ha, how wonderful… Killing…

Heart Demon, Midnight Watch, sensed the twisted killing intent within Lunar Eclipse. As she looked at the others in Claw headquarters, her gaze also became increasingly malicious.