After Ender pierced both people with one go, he immediately saw a light red health bar appear above O'Car's head.
This must be O'Car's remaining Health. The knife went through O'Car's spine, putting him in a fake death state, but he was not completely dead.
"Fake death" means the body can no longer fight back, but the brain is still alive.
This was the first time Ender had seen a health bar. When he killed the Black Market Merchant earlier, he shot him in the head, so no health bar appeared.
The health bar was clearly one of the benefits of Partial Data Mode. It let him know if an enemy was dead and gave him an idea of the enemy's total health.
O'Car's Health was now down to about 5%; he was on the edge of death.
Ender pulled the long knife out of O'Car's back. He changed his grip from reverse to forward and quickly sliced at O'Car's neck.
Pfft.
Blood sprayed several meters high. A few drops splashed on Ender's cheek, making him look particularly cold.
After this slice, O'Car's head flew off, and the health bar instantly became empty.
[You killed Guard Head Brandon O'Car.]
[Brandon O'Car was an official of Goa Kingdom. Gained World's Source 3.6%. Currently holds World's Source 5.7%.]
[Your Killing Talent – Soul Devourer is active. Permanently absorb 10 Mana points. Current Mana: 75.]
[Your Killing Talent – Soul Devourer is active. Permanently absorb 1 Mana point. Current Mana: 76.]
Ender only quickly checked the alerts.
He was surprised that killing O'Car earned him World's Source. This suggested that killing stronger enemies would increase the amount of World's Source he received.
If he could kill the Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku or one of the Four Emperors, like Shanks, the amount of World's Source would be an exaggerated number.
But that was just a thought for now. Ender would never even meet those levels of strong people. Even if he did, he wouldn't attack, as that would be suicide.
He didn't know what World's Source was for yet. Reincarnation Paradise had only said that World's Source would affect the reward he received when he left the derived world after completing the mission.
This "reward" must be the key to him becoming stronger.
There were indeed many ways to get stronger in this world, but they all needed time. He only had 72 hours total, and now only about 60 hours were left. He would be lucky if he could just complete the mission in time; Ender had no time to think about anything else.
As for something amazing like a Devil Fruit, Ender didn't even consider it. Without a solid plan, he was not qualified to look for or steal a Devil Fruit.
He was just a regular person with a slightly strong body. There was a basic difference between him and the strong people in this world.
Normally, Ender's first world would not be a high-risk world like this. This was all because of his identity as a Hunter.
His current situation was like throwing a Level 1 beginner into a high-level map, where even the common enemies were like Bosses to Ender.
The fact that Ender had achieved this much was already far beyond what a normal person could do. If it had been a regular contractor, they would likely have died in the Gray Terminal outside the capital city.
The World's Source aside, the Mana he gained confused Ender even more.
He had no ability to use Mana, so having more of it was useless and did not help him in a fight.
Everything is hard at the start; he still had to rely on himself.
–
A White Treasure Chest floated above O'Car's body. The chest was the same as the one he had opened before.
Ender picked up the White Treasure Chest and put it directly into his Inventory, then quickly left the scene.
He was a guard now, and this identity was very important to him.
If the outside world found out that he had killed O'Car, the Head of the Guards, he would become a criminal wanted by the Goa Kingdom.
At that point, forget about completing the mission, just avoiding the soldiers of Goa Kingdom would give Ender a massive headache.
–
The cool night air blew through Ender's black hair, slowly clearing the smell of blood from him.
Returning to the private house where he had bathed during the day, Ender checked the simple security measures he had set—a short stick and a few strands of hair. No one had been there. It was safe.
Ender went into the house but did not turn on the lights. He sat in the dark bedroom and took out the Treasure Chest he got from killing O'Car.
[White Treasure Chest. Open? Yes/No.]
He opened the Treasure Chest, and a necklace appeared in his hand.
[You opened the White Treasure Chest, and received the following items]
[Gained 300 Paradise Coins]
[Gained Dead Wife's Pendant]
Dead Wife's Pendant (White)
Origin: One Piece, Garrett Jewel Company
Category: Jewelry (Jewelry Equipment is rare)
Durability: None. (Jewelry Equipment has no durability and does not need to be repaired)
Equipment Requirement: Anyone can wear it.
Equipment Effect: Strength +1.
Rating: 8. (Note: White Equipment is rated from 1 to 10. White Equipment with a rating of 10 will be marked as 'Rare' and have a special added feature.)
Summary: I love you as much as you love your little lovers—O'Car's wife, who killed herself.
Price: 1,600 Paradise Coins.
...
Ender tightened his grip on the necklace, a smile appearing on his face.
He had finally, finally found a way to become stronger. This jeweled necklace actually increased his Strength.
Ender took a long breath and calmed down. He put the Dead Wife's Pendant around his neck.
Checking his Status again, his original 6 Strength had now become 7.
A rush of warmth flowed into his body. Ender clearly felt that his strength had increased by a large amount.
The increase to 7 Strength did not just mean his power increased by one-sixth; it was a huge jump.
This meant that every point of attribute gain brought a massive change, not a simple +1 increase.
"Reincarnation Paradise is truly a magical thing."
Ender clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. Powerful strength surged through his body.
This feeling of suddenly becoming stronger made him feel a little intoxicated, but he was not confused.
Ender knew clearly that the strength boost from the necklace was external. His own natural strength had not increased. If he lost the necklace, his Strength attribute would drop.
The joy of gaining Strength did not cloud Ender's mind.
He immediately realized that this pendant belonged to O'Car, and others might recognize it. If that happened, things would be complicated.
Just as Ender was worried, he suddenly saw a faint line of text appear in his vision. It was very easy to miss.
[Enable 'Hide Equipment' feature? This feature costs 100 Paradise Coins and is a permanent ability.]
Ender didn't fully understand the buying power of 100 Paradise Coins, but the Paradise Coins he had were earned with his life, so they were very precious.
However, this feature was also very practical. Ender immediately chose to activate it.
[You enabled the Hide Equipment feature. You can freely hide Equipment that you are wearing. Weapon Equipment cannot be hidden.]
The pendant around his neck slowly disappeared, but the Strength boost remained. This pleased Ender greatly. The 100 Paradise Coins were well spent.
When he first entered Reincarnation Paradise, Ender was suspicious about the goal of this unknown and powerful entity.
From the current situation, it seemed that if he completed the mission, Reincarnation Paradise would give him a reward.
As for whether Reincarnation Paradise meant him harm, Ender wasn't too worried about that now.
The ability to heal his fatal wounds and transport him to the One Piece world showed how powerful Reincarnation Paradise was.
Ender did not have the habit of worrying for no reason. If Reincarnation Paradise wanted to hurt him, why would it save him in the first place?
Even if it was just a relationship of being used, Ender could still get benefits—benefits he could never get in the real world—and that was becoming stronger.
Perhaps after completing his first mission, he would know more about Reincarnation Paradise. Right now, getting stronger was the most important thing.
Weakness is a crime. Ender knew this well. If he had been strong enough back then, he could have stopped that tragedy from happening.
The clean white floor stained with blood, the shattered remains of a body, and that...
Ender forced himself to stop the memories. His dark eyes were wide open in the dark.
Lying awake on the bed, Ender forced himself to rest. He had a lot to do tomorrow, and necessary rest would give him more energy.
The situation was open now. If everything went well, Ender was confident he could kill the King of Goa Kingdom.
He not only had to kill him but also get away safely. He was just performing a mission, not being an assassin for Reincarnation Paradise. There was a huge difference between the two.
An assassin is just a person ready to die, but Ender had a clear goal.