Chapter 254: The Second Episode of Apocalypse Forecast
For cheap maps like these, Zhou Ning could only think: the more, the better.
Looking at the template column again, the "Spider Sense · Zhou Ning" template he had bought earlier hadn't yet been used, but it already gave him some extra perks—like a Spider-Man title. Equipping it slightly enhanced his neural reaction speed. Though he wasn't sure just how much "slightly" meant, Zhou Ning still swapped it in for the Phantom Thief title. What could he do? Men always liked the new and abandoned the old.
Immediately, Zhou Ning felt his senses sharpen. He could hear the sound of raindrops outside, the "hiss" of gas burning in the stove. With a thought, he slapped the table; the plate of pastries on it sprang up with a bang, every single one flying into the air. Zhou Ning snatched the plate, and without missing a beat, caught every pastry as they fell back down.
The boost from this title seemed quite impressive. Smiling faintly, Zhou Ning set the plate back on the table.
Tests showed his reaction time and perception were both enhanced. Truly worthy of Spider-Man, it seemed.
Next, Zhou Ning checked the experience requirements. To raise Elite Black Magic to Master level—and thus equip the Sword of Cortés—he'd need nearly 970,000 experience. Expensive, yes, but still within his reach.
Without hesitation, Zhou Ning upgraded Elite Black Magic straight to Master level.
[Your Elite Black Magic has reached Master level. You have comprehended the skill [Weak Clairvoyance].]
[Your Elite Black Magic has reached Master level. You have comprehended the skill [Weather Shift].]
[You have obtained the feat [Condensed Casting].]
Upgrading unlocked two new skills and one new feat. Among them, Condensed Casting was a rare treasure for spellcasters, though not particularly useful to him.
[Weak Clairvoyance (Beginner): General skill. Upon use, deprives the target of vision. Visual range -80%. Duration: 20 seconds.]
[Weather Shift (Beginner): General skill. By using self-prepared powders, you can affect the weather to a limited extent. Low priority.]
[Condensed Casting: Allows certain syllables of incantations to be omitted when casting, making spellcasting more efficient.]
Though upgrading Elite Black Magic was a huge drain on experience, the rewards weren't bad. Zhou Ning finally equipped the Sword of Cortés. Counting the Triton Sword, which controlled ships, and the Frostmourne gathering dust in his inventory, Zhou Ning could only regret not having learned Three-Sword Style back in the One Piece world.
...
The next day, as usual, Zhou Ning's first order of business was opening shop. His experience and gold deficit was enormous, but with time running short, he only planned to spend one last morning here.
Compared with last night's hurried opening, today he truly witnessed the enthusiasm of Southwells County's players. Not only did they have money and experience to spare, they were also—well, not exactly dumb, but definitely generous. The number of players coming to change class or learn skills was overwhelming. Before long, Zhou Ning was surrounded, pressed on all sides, both suffering and enjoying it.
He simply set up an automated vending system, occasionally humoring fans with handshakes and photo requests, while also checking the forums and guild channel.
Since returning from Austin Manor, Zhou Ning hadn't logged into the forums. Now, browsing them, he found that with the release of the fourth batch of Apocalypse helmets and the broadcast of the drama starring him, the game's popularity had soared even higher.
Just looking at the fan count in his own subforum said it all: nearly 110 million…
Inside, he saw fanfiction, comics, novels—everything you could imagine. Screenshots involving him were everywhere, many of which even he didn't remember happening.
One hundred and ten million… Zhou Ning faintly recalled that in his previous life, Apocalypse had peaked at only 90 million concurrent players. Right now, the game had fewer than 9 million players total. Which meant almost all his followers were cloud players.
All Zhou Ning could do was sigh—reality was far stranger than fiction.
Movies and literature at least had to follow logic. Reality, however, didn't. Reality… ignored logic altogether.
"Wait—Episode 2 of Apocalypse Forecast is out?"
Zhou Ning's eyes lit up. It had been exactly two weeks since the first episode aired. He had thought his butterfly effect might have snuffed out the program altogether. Seeing it updated, he quickly clicked in.
On screen was the same familiar, chubby host and several guest pro players. This time, the show had really splurged: Jinse, still first on the level rankings, had become a regular guest. Not only that, but they had invited Shuidi Chenxing, a true rich heir and owner of the Star-Moon Club, and even Yanran Weile, ranked top three in all of China's gaming scene. Zhou Ning also noticed that XB, teammate of Jinse and Shuidi Chenxing and fifth on the level rankings, was participating too.
The show started, as always, with a childish round of Pictionary to warm up the atmosphere. Jinse embarrassed himself by finishing dead last, not guessing a single one correctly. The comments flooded with teasing. A few minutes later, the program finally moved on to serious content.
Episode 2 of Apocalypse Forecast ran a little over an hour. As in the previous episode, the first twenty minutes quickly recapped the overall situation of Apocalypse players worldwide.
"Currently, four batches of helmets have been released, totaling 9 million players. After more than a month of gameplay, most players have changed class, and the average level has reached 18. Upon reaching level 30, players will undergo their first advancement. We don't yet know whether this advancement will affect class balance. For example, will warriors escape their fate as low-damage, immobile bottom feeders? Can knights and wandering gunslingers stay dominant?"
"As you can see, nearly all of the top 100 players are pros. Among them, mages make up the largest share with 37, followed by wandering gunslingers with 25. This proves that in the early stages, ranged classes are well-suited for questing and leveling."
"Currently, the rarest classes remain knights and shamans. Both require considerable strength and luck to unlock. Out of 9 million players, there are fewer than 10,000 knights in total—a textbook rare class. Shamans, meanwhile, are practically exclusive to walrusfolk."
In terms of class strength, all the pro players, including Yanran Weile, agreed that wandering gunslingers were the strongest. Not only did they boast top-tier damage, but also flexible mobility, making them strong contenders in the upcoming competitive tournaments.
On the level rankings, Jinse still led far ahead at level 23. Second place now belonged to August of America's Gunfire Club, a pro player. Shuidi Chenxing, empowered by his Devil Fruit, ranked third.
For NPC popularity, Zhou Ning still dominated first place by a landslide, his lead only growing stronger. Second was Cress Bradenreiser, whose performance in episode 6 of the drama had been outstanding—not to mention her figure. Third was the original protagonist, Leandro, whose flaming greatsword was eye-catching and whose strength was formidable.
"Speaking of Wayne Sturwell, since the game began, he has always occupied the C-position of the entire game. In the past half month, he's had many new developments. He remains the only NPC to have had extensive interaction with players, repeatedly showing up in starter villages to guide and reward them. In terms of power rankings, for the first time, he has even surpassed Grand Prelate Stuart Crow of the Ascetic Church, taking first place. Here are his top five legendary moments."