Lin Jiu awoke in his run-down rental unit, eyes dazed and unfocused. There was a strange unfamiliarity in the air, but upon careful observation, everything seemed normal.
"Probably just stress from school and life," Lin Jiu muttered, shaking his head. He washed up, scarfed down two dry steamed buns, and carried out the scrap metal he'd collected during his spare time.
Orphaned since childhood, he had never seen his parents. Thankfully, the villagers he grew up among were simple and kindhearted, and he never starved. As he matured, Lin Jiu realized knowledge could change his destiny. He left the countryside and struggled his way into school.
Back then, he was too young for part-time jobs, so his only option was to scavenge and sell scrap after class just to survive. Things slightly improved in high school—he could finally work part-time. But he was no academic prodigy, and juggling work and study proved difficult. He barely scraped into a second-tier university.
During the holidays, he took on a temporary job. On the last day of break, Lin Jiu skipped work and instead headed to the junkyard to sell his collected scrap.
"Little Jiu! Long time no see!" called out Old Zhang, the junkyard owner, grinning warmly.
"Been busy working. The holiday's almost over, so I'm squeezing in one last trip. Hurry and weigh this for me, Old Zhang!" Lin Jiu responded with an easy familiarity, lifting a metal disk roughly one and a half times the size of a human head.
"This copper plate isn't light. Weigh this one first."
Old Zhang took it with both hands—it was indeed heavy. After confirming it wasn't magnetic, he placed it on the scale and chuckled. "You're lucky today, kid. Copper prices are high. This chunk's worth about two hundred yuan."
Lin Jiu gave a small smile. But before he could speak, a loud commotion erupted in the distance, along with cries and shouting.
"What's going on?" Lin Jiu asked, brows furrowed.
Old Zhang sighed. "The real estate site nearby had a workplace death. The developer's covering it up, refusing to pay proper compensation. The family's raising hell."
"The boss is rich. Why not just settle it cleanly?" Lin Jiu muttered, more sympathetic toward the worker than the squabbling family.
"These wealthy types see us as insects," Old Zhang spat. "They'll spend millions covering up scandals before giving a single yuan in compensation."
"That's why resentment keeps building. When those high and mighty folks crash, it's always spectacular. But the real rot hides in the shadows," Lin Jiu added. He'd just read about a wealthy man in a neighboring city stabbed to death by a desperate youth. The attacker had been gunned down immediately.
"You bookish kids speak so dramatically," Old Zhang chuckled while counting cash.
Lin Jiu took his few hundred yuan and returned home, unmoved by the distant wails.
The break was nearly over. Lin Jiu had secured off-campus housing, approved by the school due to his financial situation. It gave him more freedom to work.
"Finally, I get to rest for a day," he mumbled, sinking into a salvaged, slightly sagging sofa. He browsed his phone for a while before preparing for a nap.
His gaze landed on the desk nearby. Sitting on it—was the same metal disk he had just sold to Old Zhang.
Lin Jiu blinked. That couldn't be right. It looked exactly like the one he sold: heavy, dull, unmoved by magnets. He'd even joked that if it looked better, he'd pass it off as an antique gold plate.
"Did it come back by itself...?" he murmured, approaching cautiously. His hands trembled slightly as he picked it up. His eyes grew misty.
"Have I finally caught a break...? Is this the path to riches?!"
It wasn't theft—he'd sold it fair and square. If it had mysteriously returned, that was on the disk, not him. Why not take it to other scrap shops? Ten shops could net him two thousand yuan. He could even rotate cities...
Lin Jiu grinned greedily, lifting the disk with both hands. If it wasn't covered in grime, he might've kissed it.
As if in response, the metal disk trembled. In its center, starlight flickered. A white "ф" symbol appeared.
"Wait... this symbol—don't tell me it'll turn—" Lin Jiu's voice stopped.
The white "ф" turned blood-red.
His mind reeled. A familiar sensation exploded in his thoughts. A system seal shattered in his memory.
"Reincarnation Paradise?! Did I transmigrate?! No wonder everything felt off... damn it!"
Before he could finish cursing, the disk violently slammed into his forehead.
Lin Jiu collapsed, blood gushing. A crimson "ф" mark now glowed on the back of his hand. The disk vanished into the mark.
Welcome to Reincarnation Paradise.
[Talent assessment in progress... Result: Average. Preparing Contractor's contract...]
The symbol on Lin Jiu's hand pulsed. Reincarnation Paradise was clearly locking onto him.
[Advanced Special Unit Observer No. 357 detected. Special authorization triggered. Assigning new unit—Observer No. 312. Verification in progress...]
[Verification complete. Timeline compromised. Multiple Derivative and Native Worlds destroyed.]
[Identity alteration in progress. Contractor No.13014 (Lin Jiu) reassigned as Hunter. Previous ID invalid.]
Reincarnation Paradise: He gave too much.
[Body transmission in progress... 10%... 50%... 100%. Complete. Severe cranial trauma detected. Initiating preservation...]
[Hunter unconscious. Minimal survival state engaged for ten minutes.]
Agonizing pain erupted in Lin Jiu's skull. His soul felt as though it were being ripped apart and stitched back together.
"What a nightmare... I actually dreamed I entered Reincarnation Paradise..." he muttered groggily—until he saw the glowing crimson mark on his hand and the floating, pale-blue system text.
[Hunter, welcome to Reincarnation Paradise.]
Lin Jiu fell silent.
"A... Hunter? Me? All I've ever fought was the village dog—and even then I needed backup!"
He reached up. Blood soaked his fingertips.
A faint question left his lips: "What is that disk?"
[Special Item: Reincarnation Disk (Advanced Special Unit – Observer No. 357)]
"The Reincarnation Disk...?"
[No known connection between disk and Reincarnation Paradise.]
"Then... Observer No. 357?"
[Insufficient authority. Due to binding anomaly, partial data revealed:
Observer No. 357 is % * $ #& amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp;...]
"...The hell? Did Paradise glitch?"
Instead of answering, an ancient parchment floated into view.
[Sign Contract: Yes / No]
"Yes!" Lin Jiu shouted instantly.
His hand moved involuntarily. His thumb pressed into the page. Crimson blood dripped, staining the parchment.
[Contract established. Initiating Hunter restoration.]
Light green motes enveloped Lin Jiu. His wounds closed in seconds.
[Injuries restored. Talent adjustment complete. Forcibly awakening Hunter talent.]
Agony surged through his body once more. His soul felt like it was being torn and rebuilt, over and over.
Strangely, Lin Jiu recognized the sensation—it felt like something he had once endured.
[Semi-datafication enabled to visually represent Hunter status.]
[Warning: Vital organ damage still results in death despite datafication.]
[Hunter-exclusive trial initiated. Failure results in demotion to Contractor. Death in trial results in permanent termination.]
[Paradise Rule: All is exchanged at equal value.]
Lin Jiu took a deep breath, only to receive a sharp blow to the back of the head. He blacked out again.
[Transmission commencing...]