Chapter 145: The God of Fortune
Just like what Zhou Ning experienced in the Jasonat Haunted Manor, the players were sacrificed on an altar. One of the screenshots even showed several players locked together in a dark chamber.
When Zhou Ning saw one of the screenshots, he couldn't help but pause slightly. The building in the background looked very familiar—he seemed to recognize it as a location in the Darkland Seton River District. That was because the clock tower in the background was the iconic landmark of Darkland: the Saint Dovik Grand Clock. Wasn't this right under his nose?
After silently committing the contents of the post to memory, Zhou Ning continued watching the video.
"According to statistics, a total of 769 players have been captured by the Curse God Cult. The locations include but are not limited to the Kingdom of Bryston, Ruins, and other regions, covering a vast area. No wonder some people say the Curse God Cult is the most powerful force in the game," the host commented.
Then he turned to the professional players present and asked, "If joining the Curse God Cult could bring you significant benefits, such as a new class or powerful skills, would you choose to join?"
"No!"
"No!"
"I would."
"No."
Of the eight professional players present, seven said no, and only one said yes.
Seeing this, Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes slightly. Up to this point, the storyline had already been thoroughly disrupted—probably even the central AI was scratching its head by now.
In the original version of the game, NPCs' curiosity toward players was part of the plot. The first faction to discover anomalies in the players was actually the Byron Republic, which was also the first to invite players to join its ranks.
But now, it was the Curse God Cult that had made the first move. Fortunately, their current approach was still brute force—ritual sacrifice, transformation, and so on. If they had taken a gentler, more persuasive approach like he had, and successfully recruited large numbers of players, even the Kingdom of Bryston might not be able to hold out.
The truth was, they just didn't understand the players yet. As long as the rewards were good enough, players didn't really care whether a faction was good or evil. But with these outrageous tactics, the Curse God Cult had effectively pushed the players to the other side.
That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though. With the Curse God Cult playing the villain, he could play the hero—rescuing the players and winning their favor.
The Curse God Cult probably couldn't have imagined that things like forums and screenshots even existed in this world.
After finishing that segment, the host played a round of Pictionary with the pro players before shifting topics. "Over the past week, players have encountered quite a few powerful NPCs. Based on player submissions, we've compiled this week's Top 10 NPC Rankings. Let's take a look."
The screen began showing another video. An elderly man in ornate priestly robes held a staff aloft, a massive glowing orb hanging in the air like a red sun. Text appeared above his head: 1. High Patriarch of the Ascetic Church, Stuart Clough.
Second was a hooded cult mage. A large black sphere floated in his palm, crackling with lightning and radiating overwhelming power.
Next was a clip of Zhou Ning's scene from the serial storyline, where he fought against Harrison Rivers and Alva Roskin alone, and was ranked third.
Fourth place was also from the serial storyline: family knight Harrison Rivers transforming into a great demon.
These were all clips recorded by players during the past five days. The number of featured experts was limited. Frankly, the rankings were still based on flashy effects rather than substance. For instance, ranking him third was a baffling decision—they were seriously overestimating him...
Of course, this ranking stirred up plenty of debate. For example, Grantham, who had disparaged Zhou Ning during the closed beta, had some things to say. He looked like a slightly scrawny man with glasses and firmly insisted he should only be ranked seventh, right behind Emlyn, the Punishment Gun, who placed sixth. He then got into a heated argument with Jinse.
Zhou Ning: …
Can I just say even seventh is overestimating himself?
The next segment covered the activities of pro guilds and esports players.
"In the five days since the public launch, a large number of well-known domestic and international esports clubs have joined Apocalypse, including Star-Moon Club founded by Sunken Star Beneath the Water, Deep Blue Club, and the second-ranked domestic newcomer club, among others."
"Foreign pro teams are just as enthusiastic. Not only is the American Gunfire Club involved, but France's Oasis Club and Britain's Nirvana Club have also joined Apocalypse."
"As for individual pro players, the current number one in the domestic rankings is Jinse from Deep Blue Club. She completed a hidden quest and established a connection with the game's protagonist, Wayne Sturwell. She's also the first player in the world to change classes, and will likely be the first to reach level 10. In second place is Star-Moon Club's founder, Sunken Star Beneath the Water, who spent a fortune to purchase a Devil Fruit from Wayne Sturwell and awakened a werewolf transformation ability. Luoyue, rumor has it your boss wants to become a pro player in Apocalypse. Is that true?"
In the video, a tall young man—Star-Moon Club's star player Luoyue—showed an awkward yet polite smile and nodded, "It's true."
"Then let's wish our nation's heartthrob all the best," the chubby host said with a grin. "As for the third-ranked domestic player, he's currently an independent player. XB, who recently retired from Conquest, is also rumored to be a closed beta player like Jinse. He also appears to have connected with Wayne Sturwell through a hidden quest. He's currently ranked second on the level leaderboard. Although his PK skills… are average at best, his level and fortuitous encounters give him great potential."
"Internationally, we don't know much yet. We only know that someone in Britain's Nirvana Club has classed up into a Temple Knight. Meanwhile, August from America's Gunfire Club became a rare lightning mage through a hidden quest."
"These will likely be our country's greatest rivals on the future international stage."
"Next up: the Top 10 Unlucky Players and the Top 10 Lucky Players… but first, a word from our sponsor…"
...
After watching the program, Zhou Ning's biggest takeaway was... his own screen time seemed abnormally high. Especially with domestic pro players—the top three all had something to do with him. It really felt like he was some kind of walking benefactor, handing out opportunities and gear like a literal God of Fortune. It was absurd.
But with the program airing, Zhou Ning could clearly feel players looking at him with even more intense interest. A large number of them were trying to trigger hidden quests through him. Some, having watched XB and Jinse's beta footage, thought they'd figured out the secret and came to his snack bar with piles of breakfast food, constantly asking him, "Wanna eat? Wanna eat?"
Were they insane? Zhou Ning didn't even bother acknowledging them.
Of course, most players didn't engage in such ridiculous behavior. Instead, there was a steady stream of players coming to change classes or purchase firearms. After several hours, Zhou Ning's experience bar had grown tremendously.
By the time dusk rolled around and Zhou Ning left amid the players' groans of disappointment, he had accumulated over 1.9 million experience points, and his savings had hit a new record: 15,000 Vectas.
Based on his estimates, the player potential in West Lin Town would probably last another one to two days. If things went smoothly, he might even be able to persuade half the players near Darkland to become roaming gunners.
He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time—it was nearly 6 p.m. Since West Lin Town wasn't far from Darkland, Zhou Ning decided to take the evening bus back and return again tomorrow.
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