After enduring countless hardships, Su Xiao finally completed the Hunter set. He speculated that the set's fame in the Reincarnation Paradise was not due to its attributes as a dark purple set but because of its attributes when upgraded to a gold set.
Gold sets were something Su Xiao had never seen or even heard of before. The Hunter set was the only complete set he owned. As for the other set pieces he had, like the King's Honor Bracers, he didn't dare hope to complete it. That set required four pale gold pieces and granted some of Gilgamesh's abilities when assembled. It was unique to the Star Moon world and incredibly difficult to collect.
Reflecting on how he acquired the Hunter set, Su Xiao felt a bit speechless.
He obtained the Hunter Ring by seizing it, the Hunter Necklace in the War World without opening a chest, and the Hunter Pistol similarly from another contractor's death, which Alice collected as a trophy. Su Xiao only noticed it due to the pattern matching the other Hunter pieces; otherwise, he might have missed it.
With poor luck at drawing the Hunter set from chests, Su Xiao resorted to taking it by force or other means.
While the Divine Emperor and other Tier 4 contractors failed to get the Hunter set, Su Xiao managed to assemble it.
This made Su Xiao more cautious. Gulu from the Brigade was hunted relentlessly just for possessing the Hunter Ring. If word got out that Su Xiao had the complete Hunter set, many would pursue him.
Even Tier 5 contractors might not be able to resist the allure of the Hunter set.
Suddenly, Su Xiao recalled how Stan had sent people to hunt him. It might be because Stan knew Su Xiao got the Hunter Ring from Gulu, which explained why Stan paid a high price to have him killed.
Given the Hunter set's current demonstrated value, it made perfect sense for Stan to pay a steep price to have Su Xiao hunted. It also explained the composition of the team that pursued Su Xiao at the time.
With Arsonist as the primary combat power and the fat main tank as an insurance measure, the charm-specialized Butterfly seemed like an odd choice unless her role was to use her abilities to fully control Su Xiao and obtain the Hunter Ring from him.
The behavior of the three was very unusual. After entering the Holy Grail world, they didn't participate in the original plot or seek out Su Xiao. Instead, they frantically hunted other contractors, seemingly trying to clear the world.
In hindsight, this might have been to "protect" Su Xiao, ensuring he didn't die in conflicts with other contractors, which would result in the Hunter Ring being lost.
When Butterfly and the main tank came to find Su Xiao, they aimed to get rid of the Arsonist and capture Su Xiao. The rewards from Stan would differ depending on who got the Hunter Ring.
If their goal was simply to kill Su Xiao, Butterfly, and the main tank wouldn't have acted prematurely. Killing would involve all three, sharing the credit equally. The attempt to kill Su Xiao was a smokescreen or a means to mislead Su Xiao; the Hunter Ring was their real target.
If the goal was simply assassination, sending a Tier 3 sniper would have been more effective. The butterfly's appearance indicated an intent to capture life.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao narrowed his eyes. If Stan knew he had the Hunter Ring, then only one of them would leave the Blood Gate Adventure Group alive.
The dark purple set, no, the gold set, was too tempting. Stan wouldn't give up easily. His Blood Gate Adventure Group would undoubtedly become Su Xiao's enemies.
Su Xiao and the Blood Gate were already mortal enemies. After the hunt in the Holy Grail world, their relationship was irreparably broken.
While Su Xiao was lost in thought, following the wolf butler into the descending wooden house, they soon returned to the vicinity of the Forest of the Strong on the fourth floor.
A breeze rustled the leaves, and a few fallen leaves were lifted by the forest wind.
As the leaves floated near Su Xiao, he instinctively dodged, a reflex from his acute sense.
"The fifth game is about to begin. Before that, you can name your price for that information," the wolf butler said.
Su Xiao, still pondering how to deal with the Blood Gate, became wary of the butler's offer.
What seemed like a normal transaction hinted at something more sinister—the butler was certain Su Xiao wouldn't survive the fifth game or wouldn't live much longer even if he did.
This raised Su Xiao's suspicion. Was the fifth game that difficult, or was it a trap, Alice's final attempt to kill him?
"Tell me the content of the fifth game first," Su Xiao demanded.
The wolf butler's expression shifted slightly, acknowledging Su Xiao's high level of vigilance.
"Very well."
The wolf butler's smile was anything but friendly.
"The fifth game consists of two types. The first doesn't take place on the castle's fifth floor because it's open to everyone. The first game mode is the King's Chess, which you don't need to understand because you will participate in the second game."
"The second game takes place on the fifth floor of the Devil's Castle, also known as the Void Arena. Sand and Blood, where any race from the Void can participate or spectate by purchasing tickets. Each Void Arena session limits participants' strength to be similar to the Queen's avatar, with no lower limit, making it a mixed bag of various races, which is the arena's main attraction. I forgot to mention, that this session of the Void Arena has three million spectators, including bored strong individuals, traveling sage mages, and ordinary reporters from the Gak race. Their knowledge is extensive…"
The wolf butler's hostility was unmistakable.
Hearing this, Su Xiao felt a chill. The fifth game was open to the entire Void.
This was an excellent opportunity to see the Void, but Su Xiao now wanted anything but this chance.
He had inherited the Shadow of Extinction and, though not fully understanding the organization, knew one thing: the Shadows had an overwhelming number of enemies.
Shadows of Extinction were extreme in maintaining the Void's elemental balance. Their methods were ruthless—kill anyone who disrupted the balance, any mage, or any being associated with the sixth to twenty-ninth magic networks.
This extreme approach made them a chaotic order, even more feared than lawful evil beings like demons, dragons, or dark mages.
With over three million spectators in the Void Arena, how many would be enemies of the Shadows of Extinction?
"Probably… quite a few," Su Xiao muttered, envisioning a scenario where activating his Azure Steel Shadow drew countless powerful enemies from the stands.
"Alice has outdone herself," Su Xiao's expression darkened, much to the butler's satisfaction.
"I've told you about the fifth game. Now, about that information…"
The wolf butler wanted details about "evolution."
"Oh, I lied about that earlier. I never intended to provide information on evolution. Thanks for explaining, though, wolf butler."
Su Xiao patted the butler's shoulder and headed toward the ladder leading to the Void Arena.
"Don't you have any sense of honor as a strong person?" the butler fumed.
"Honor? With enemies, there's no need for honor. Wolf Butler, are you three years old? I'm honest and honorable with allies, but you're my enemy, trying to kill me from the start. You and Alice have schemed against me many times. Have you forgotten? Now you talk to me about honor?"
Su Xiao ascended the ladder while the butler clenched his fists, barely restraining himself from attacking Su Xiao. The promise of "evolution" had been a ruse.
"You damned Shadow of Extinction lunatic!"
"Thanks for the compliment," Su Xiao replied without stopping, ready to see just how many enemies the Shadows had in the Void.
For enemies, there were no rules.