Chapter 41

[Yes/No] Open Chest (Green)

Choosing to open, several items appeared in Su Xiao’s hands.

[You opened the chest (green) and obtained the following items]

[Obtained 900 Paradise Coins]

[Obtained Hé Bāo (S-class)]

[Obtained Evil Spirit’s Roar (Green)]

……

Hé Bāo (S-class)

Origin: Tokyo Ghoul

Quality: White

Type: Material

Rating: 9 (Note: White items are rated 1 to 10; higher ratings indicate greater rarity.)

Description: The Hé Bāo of the Gecko. Can be used for equipment forging or transplanted into the body. {After transplantation, there is a 5% chance of becoming a Ghoul, a 94% chance of death, and a 1% chance of unknown mutation.}

Price: 1100 Paradise Coins

……

Evil Spirit’s Roar

Origin: Tokyo Ghoul, District 13 Jewelry Shop

Rank: Green

Category: Ring

Durability: None. (Jewelry gear has no durability and requires no repair.)

Equipment Requirement: Intelligence above 10 points.

Effect: Roar (Active). Upon activation, ignore pain for 20 seconds. During this time, each attack received increases attack speed by 5%. (Maximum attack speed increase: 50%. This bonus vanishes when Roar ends.)

Note: Roar (Active) has a 12-hour cooldown. Forcing consecutive use will induce mental confusion.

Rating: 21 (Note: Green equipment is rated 10 to 30. Green equipment rated 30 is marked ‘Rare’ and gains special attributes.)

Description: Let me plunder everything.

Price: 2700 Paradise Coins

……

Holding the ring in his hand, Su Xiao fell into thought.

This ring added no stats, but granted an elite ability: 20 seconds of pain immunity.

It may seem insignificant, but pain in combat is no trivial matter—intense agony can cause delayed reactions and lead to defeat.

Yet permanently losing pain sensation would be disastrous; this temporary suppression resembles a potent stimulant.

This ring allows him to unleash his full combat potential when near death—even if only for 20 seconds, it is invaluable.

When health drops below 10%, one enters a weakened state; below 5%, most creatures lose resistance.

If Su Xiao’s health falls below 5% during combat, he can activate this ring to temporarily ignore bodily pain and fight to the death.

Slipping the ring onto his finger, he felt a strange energy swirling around it, ready to be activated at will.

Activating the equipment’s hidden function, the ring vanished. Su Xiao nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the Hé Bāo in his hand—the Gecko’s Hé Bāo.

The Hé Bāo was spherical, the size of an egg, its surface covered in vivid red veins, overall a dark red hue.

It felt hard and heavy, bearing no resemblance to an organ—more like a solid, inorganic object.

Su Xiao had no intention of transplanting the Gecko’s Hé into his body—not only because of the absurdly high death rate, but because Ghouls themselves were not high-tier lifeforms, not worth the risk.

Su Xiao already had a profession; he would not pursue another bloodline. If the two conflicted, death was nearly certain.

As for merging them into a superior bloodline? That was pure fantasy.

Surviving as Undead was already a miracle. Even if he somehow merged them, two unrelated abilities would only spawn garbage powers.

Like a tiger mating with a dog—no elephant would result.

He stored the Hé Bāo in his storage space. Even if useless, he could sell it. A white material rated 9 held high value in the Cycle Paradise, especially material for weapon crafting—many traders sought it.

Opening this green chest yielded satisfying items. Overall, his luck was good.

After opening several chests, Su Xiao deduced a few truths: creatures that dropped chests were generally strong; weaker ones never dropped any.

Yet even if a chest was obtained, the reward remained uncertain.

After opening the chest, Su Xiao lay down and slept.

Tomorrow morning, the CCG would respond. If anything went wrong, Su Xiao would need to swiftly join a Ghoul faction—otherwise, the cost of mission failure was beyond what he could bear.

……

At around seven the next morning, Su Xiao’s door was knocked on.

“Baiye, news from headquarters.” It was Zhenhu Wu Xu’s voice.

Su Xiao had already washed up. He opened the door to see Zhenhu Wu Xu in a white robe.

“Has the CCG headquarters approved my enrollment?”

“Of course.”

With a clear answer, Su Xiao felt more at ease.

“Here are your enrollment documents and credentials. I didn’t know your father was a Search Officer—it greatly aided your entry into the CCG.”

Su Xiao took the documents. The Cycle Paradise immediately displayed a prompt.

[Hunter completed Main Quest (1): Faction Selection. This quest grants no reward. Subsequent quests unlocked.]

[Main Quest (2): Senior Search Officer]

Difficulty Level: Lv.3

Quest Description: Rapidly advance your rank within the CCG to prepare for subsequent quests.

Quest Information: Use any means to increase your status—eliminate Ghouls, bribe officials, anything.

Deadline: Twenty days.

Reward: 1 attribute point, 1500 Paradise Coins.

……

[Hunter successfully joined the CCG. Faction Contribution Value system activated.]

[Current Rank: Third-Class Search Officer. CCG Contribution: 0/50. Eliminating Ghouls grants contribution. When contribution reaches the cap, rank increases.]

[Contribution can also be used to purchase items within the CCG or craft Quinque.]

Finally, a subsequent quest appeared. According to the Cycle Paradise’s earlier hint, he needed to complete three main quests to return to the Cycle Paradise.

But the moment he successfully joined the CCG, the Cycle Paradise delivered a “nightmare.”

[Announcement: A “Contractor” has joined a faction. Contractors can interfere with faction balance. Balance Mechanism activated.]

This was an announcement—not just for Su Xiao, but for all Contractors within the Ghoul-derived world.

All Contractors except Su Xiao had their Main Quest (1) changed: instead of choosing a faction, they were now forced to join the Ghoul faction.

This was the Cycle Paradise’s balance mechanism, preventing one faction from becoming too weak.

Su Xiao’s face darkened. He too received the prompt: the CCG side now had only him. All other Contractors were assigned to the Ghoul side.

Su Xiao had long wondered: his Hunter status seemed granted special treatment only within the Cycle Paradise. In the derived world, the Cycle Paradise treated everyone equally.

He did not complain. It made sense. The Cycle Paradise had always felt cruel, cold, and impartial.

Yet upon reflection, being the only Contractor in the CCG faction had advantages—at least no other Contractors would interfere.

“Baiye, headquarters has assigned you to District 14. Conditions there are complex—you’re badly needed.”

Zhenhu Wu Xu looked regretful, for Su Xiao had not been assigned to District 20.

“Understood. I have a feeling I’ll return to District 20 before long.”

Under Zhenhu Wu Xu’s puzzled gaze, Su Xiao left the CCG District 20 branch with his assignment papers.

District 14 bordered District 20. When District 14 faced excessive pressure, the CCG branch in District 20 often sent reinforcements—clearly, District 14 was far from peaceful.

Just before leaving District 20, Su Xiao suddenly remembered: should he visit the café named Aning District? After all, it gathered many Ghouls,