Chapter 136: New Map, Return of the Mad Clown
"I finally have a place to call my own."
Zhou Ning couldn't help but sigh as he inserted the key into the lock and gently turned it. The door swung inward with a soft click.
The interior decor far exceeded Zhou Ning's expectations. There was a set of chairs in the entryway, a watercolor painting hung on the wall, and three umbrellas sat in a stand—decidedly extravagant.
Passing through the foyer, he entered a spacious main hall. By estimation, it was at least 80 to 90 square meters. A wool rug from the Byron Kingdom covered the floor, and there were potted plants and stone sculptures as decorations.
To the front side, a staircase led to the second and third floors. The house had far more rooms than he had imagined—bedrooms, a study, a living room, a washroom—everything was fully equipped. There was even a billiard room.
Zhou Ning: …
Although this house cost him one-third of a life, in hindsight, the price seemed justified.
Since a part-time cleaner had been maintaining the place, there was no dust or odor anywhere, and even the bedding was brand new. Zhou Ning went up to the master bedroom on the third floor, took off his jacket, and stepped out onto the balcony.
Not far from here were the Withershire Church Square and Saint Raymond Cathedral. With the Wandering Gunslinger's exceptional visual range, he could already see the sharp spire of Saint Raymond Cathedral. Once he donned his Phoenix Battle Suit, he could glide over in one go—it felt especially secure.
After a hot shower in the washroom, Zhou Ning let out a contented sigh, sat down in a chair, and opened the control panel. His accumulated experience had reached a staggering 1.27 million—a number unattainable in the early stages of the game.
But that's just how unreasonable NPCs with player templates were.
It took about 90,000 experience points to level up the Wandering Gunslinger from 17 to 18. Without hesitation, Zhou Ning spent 1 million experience points to raise it directly to level 25. As expected, when he reached level 20, a notification appeared:
[Your Wandering Gunslinger has reached level 20. You have received a Class Specialty Reward. Please choose one of the following three specialties. Note: This specialty will directly affect all Wandering Gunslinger class users. Choose carefully.]
That's the tough part about being a class mentor—you have to silently shoulder the consequences for all players who switch to your class. Zhou Ning muttered to himself as he looked at the three options.
[Moving Shot: Makes your hands more stable, greatly reducing accuracy loss while moving. Attack Power +5%, an additional +5% when wielding revolvers.]
[Revolver Mastery (Intermediate): Increases your revolver-type weapons' fire rate by 14% and penetration power by 18%.]
[Elegant Footwork: Grants excellent perception and body coordination, enhancing melee and ranged combat with graceful movement. Skill aesthetics +20%.]
At first glance, the choice wasn't easy. The first option was average—perhaps good for players, but for someone like him, a top-tier marksman, it only meant a 10% attack power boost.
The second option was an upgraded version of his level 10 talent and could raise his damage by 12%–14%, which was decent. But it conflicted with a talent he'd chosen earlier.
In comparison, the third option looked more appealing. Improved perception and coordination would significantly aid both his Observation Haki and combat skills. Plus, visual flair was a core trait of the Wandering Gunslinger—style was everything.
Zhou Ning quickly made his decision based on personal preference: "Elegant Footwork."
[You have acquired the specialty: Elegant Footwork!]
After reaching level 25, the next level would require nearly 240,000 experience. The final five levels of the Wandering Gunslinger class wouldn't come cheap—around 3 million in total—but the massive investment had led to a huge spike in his combat power.
His overall level now stood at 42, with the following personal attributes:
[Strength: 36 | Agility: 147 | Vitality: 63 | Willpower: 48 | Spirit: 58 | Charisma: 100]
HP: 756/756
Stamina: 945/945
Willpower: 48/48
Combat Power: 7698
[Note: Your strength is now on a whole new level, but your looks are still your defining trait.]
His combat power had surged by another 2,000 points, and his Agility had hit 147—roughly equal to a level 70 ordinary class. Zhou Ning was genuinely excited about his future development.
Given his current rate of gaining experience, he could likely reach the level cap of 60—the limit for players in the first version—within a short time.
As for whether it would be possible to level up beyond 60, Zhou Ning wasn't sure for now. But completing the Wandering Gunslinger's class advancement would likely be a big challenge.
With his current power—combined with all three types of Haki and the Phoenix Battle Suit—he was easily among the stronger Supernaturals and could likely crush average Supernaturals without much trouble. However, he still lacked enough skills, specialties, and powerful unknown artifacts or Supernatural items. He was a bit short of true top-tier combat power.
For now, his top priority was still harvesting experience and money from players. The longer he waited, the worse it would get. While Darkland City's market potential was nearly tapped out, there was still Westwood Town, wasn't there?
Zhou Ning decided to head to Westwood Town tomorrow for a look.
As for his combat style… while the Wandering Gunslinger's attacks were powerful, the approach remained somewhat one-dimensional. With the discovery of a new method to create Devil Fruits, Zhou Ning had a new idea—maybe eating one wouldn't be a bad idea?
Other than the rather weak standard Zoan Fruits, Mythical Zoan, Logia, and some of the stronger Paramecia Fruits were all within his range of consideration. They could greatly diversify his combat style.
Although he wasn't yet sure what kinds of Devil Fruits were available, he'd eventually have to go back to the world of One Piece anyway. Alternatively, he could draw from the One Piece prize pool—maybe he'd hit the jackpot and get the Devil Fruit he wanted, or even complete the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
He glanced at the time—it was only 9 PM. Zhou Ning had been curious about the new map for a while. Now that he had the money, why not go exploring and open up a new world?
He opened the game simulation interface. After his last simulation, he had 59 Traversal Coins left. After receiving a one-coin welfare bonus overnight, his total was now 60. Without hesitation, Zhou Ning spent 400 Vecktas to buy 40 more Traversal Coins and selected the new map, Empire Tempest, then clicked on Traverse.
[Preparing for traversal… -100 Traversal Coins deducted]
[Please select your traversal mode…]
[1. Direct Traverse]
[2. Use Parallel World Template for Traverse]
As usual, Zhou Ning selected Option 2 to check the options first. If the price was acceptable, he'd just buy them regardless of quality.
After a shuffle, three cards spread open in a flash of pure light.
The first template was very familiar to Zhou Ning—he'd seen it twice before. It was himself dressed in a purple suit, face painted like a clown, wearing an exaggerated grin.
It was none other than the previously miraculous Mad Clown Zhou Ning.
His personality was described as erratic and unpredictable. His talents included: Criminal Genius (Purple), Sinister Charisma (Purple), Demolition Expert (Purple), Firearms Master (Purple), Dyslexia (Gray negative trait), and Extraordinary Physique (Purple).
Skills: Intimidation and Extortion (Master), Explosives Crafting (Expert), Negotiation (Expert).
Zhou Ning: …
Lately, he seemed to have a strange affinity with Gotham—first Batman, now the Joker. Wouldn't be surprised if the Riddler or Penguin showed up next.
Compared to before, the Mad Clown template now had an added Extraordinary Physique talent, which Zhou Ning suspected was due to him injecting Tony Stark's Super Soldier Serum from the Marvel world.
The price had jumped from a modest 25 Traversal Coins to 75, but Zhou Ning wasn't hurting for money—he bought it without hesitation.
The second template was also a returning one—the Architect Zhou Ning, priced at just 3 Traversal Coins. No need to think—just buy it!
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