Chapter 313: The Dark Knight and One Punch Man
Light exploded, and three cards appeared in front of Zhou Ning. They spread out one by one, radiating brilliant purple and orange light.
The first card was an orange card. It depicted Zhou Ning in a red and blue skintight suit, a red cape, and a shield-shaped "S" emblem on his chest. He stood atop a ruined skyscraper that had been destroyed in a nuclear war, his cold gaze fixed straight ahead.
Personality: Sensitive, cold, indifferent to life.
Talents: Super-strong defense (Orange), super-strong strength (Red), super-strong speed (Purple), super healing (Purple), super senses (Purple), Fear of Kryptonite (Gray Negative Talent).
Skills: Flight (Master Level), Heat Vision (Expert Level), Super Breathing (Master Level), Energy Absorption (Divine Level), followed by a long list of other skills.
Price: 7,000 Traversal Coins. Title: "Unjust Superman Zhou Ning."
This card was incredibly mediocre. Just by looking at it, Zhou Ning could tell it was nothing special, so he decided to skip it without even giving it a second glance. He was powerful now; he didn't need such a plain card.
The second card was purple. The image showed Zhou Ning dressed in black armor and a black helmet, his eyes blood red, holding a red-bladed lightsaber.
Personality: Greedy, cruel, ruthless, paranoid, ambitious.
Talents: Master of Swordsmanship (Purple), Master of the Force (Orange), Force Affinity (Purple).
Skills: Forced Destruction (Master Level), Force Cloak (Grandmaster Level), Force Healing (Grandmaster Level), Swordsmanship (Master Level), Energy Manipulation (Expert Level).
The bottom-right corner had black text saying, "You have no idea of the power of the Dark Side," with an exclamation mark icon that could be clicked:
"This card is a skill-type card. After equipping the Dark Knight title, you will automatically acquire the Force cultivation laws (Dark Side)."
Title: Dark Knight Zhou Ning. Price: 600 Traversal Coins.
This price seemed more reasonable. Although 300 of those coins were probably just for the free skills, Zhou Ning thought to himself, I have the money!
The template was clearly based on the infamous supervillain, Darth Vader from Star Wars, also known as Anakin Skywalker.
Despite being a villain with a terrible personality, his abilities were quite good, and there was potential to clear the game. Plus, he could collect a villain card set, not to mention the opportunity to learn a new skill. Zhou Ning checked his balance, and with 280 coins left, he decided to spend 5,000 Vecktas and recharge 500 Traversal Coins to buy the card.
After purchasing the template, the lineup of villain characters—The Mad Clown, Penguin, Ordinary Office Worker, Kyōka Suigetsu, and Dark Knight—was completed, bringing the villain sequence to five, unlocking a new bond in the template collection.
Formidable Villain Characters (5):
Health +650
Spirit +7
Agility +2
Bond Effect: After using a villain template for traversal, the completion rate of dungeons increases faster.
Zhou Ning felt satisfied. This money was well spent.
As for the third template... whether by luck or misfortune, or maybe fate's arrangement, Zhou Ning once again encountered a very familiar face.
He saw himself in a black helmet and armor, his face pale, his eyes burning with blue flames. He held a rune sword, pointing it forward. Behind him, a skeletal frost dragon roared at the sky.
Hidden Template: Lich King Joker Zhou Ning.
Once again, the same familiar personality: erratic and unpredictable. Besides the previous talents, he also gained "Master of the Undead" and "Heart of Death." As for skills, there was a long list of Lich King abilities, such as summoning Valkyries, Raging Frost Shock, Plague of the Undying, Soul Harvest, and more.
Price: 0 Traversal Coins.
Was he choosing this template to exact revenge on the Marvel world for the failure of his last timeline? Zhou Ning thought to himself with unease.
Choosing this template would undoubtedly be a breeze, clearing the game with ease, but Zhou Ning liked saying "no" to people who thought too highly of themselves!
Without hesitation, he closed the template selection and returned to Option One. Although he didn't think anything could compare to One Punch Man, he decided to see if any interesting options popped up since this was a one-time card.
[You chose Traversal Mode One]
[Please choose three of the following ten talents to match the conditions.]
1. Saiyan Talent (Purple): The more you're injured, the stronger you become. Every time you take damage, your combat ability increases.
2. Playboy (Blue): You are highly lethal to women and even female creatures.
3. Purple Qi Comes from the East (White): You like wearing purple clothes and traveling west.
4. Naturally Kind (Green): You never do bad things.
5. Genius Racer (Purple): You have a natural talent in racing, the next Schumacher.
6. Sex Addict (Gray): You have an unusual obsession with sex.
7. Cunning and Deceptive (Green): You're naturally crafty, skilled in scheming against others.
8. Political Success (Blue): You'll receive praise from many high-ranking officials in this world and smoothly rise to power.
9. Wealthy Ability (Purple): You'll become very rich in this world, spending money like water, easily hurting others with your wealth.
10. Non-mainstream (White): You like weird clothing, writing bizarre "Mars" language, and being your own unique self.
Zhou Ning: ...
Out of these ten talents, only "Political Success," "Wealthy Ability," and "Saiyan Talent" were worth considering. But this was a post-nuclear wasteland, full of mutants and supervillains. This combination was clearly unsuitable. Zhou Ning promptly switched back to Option Two and decisively chose One Punch Man for his simulation.
[You chose Option Two: One Punch Man Zhou Ning enters the simulation.]
[Matching successful, in this parallel world, you come from a perilous world filled with monsters. You are calm, low-key, indifferent, and have no strong emotions. Your biggest hobby is shopping for discounted goods at the supermarket. Although you are just a hero out of interest, you often feel melancholic for the lack of battle excitement in your life. How will you change this world? We'll see.]
[Current world exploration: 30.8%. When exploration reaches 66.7%, you will unlock the next map.]
[If you die in this simulation, the game will end.]
[Note: In the simulation, characters have strong subjectivity, and One Punch Man Zhou Ning's alignment is neutral good. You have no control over his actions in the simulation.]
[You chose not to select the time and place for traversal.]
[You arrive in New York, April 2030, as history begins to turn.]