Chapter 229: Reward Skill
Sensing that Bislok's presence was rapidly moving away, Zhou Ning couldn't help but take a deep breath, secretly feeling relieved. So it wasn't just him who had held back—Harrison Rivers' true strength was far beyond his expectations. Not only had Harrison's level risen from 60 to 64, but his clan ability was downright disgusting—it could actually confuse and change the state of objects.
If Professor Bislok hadn't, for some unknown reason, held back and shown little willingness to fight, even with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon at his side, Zhou Ning might have been the one to crash and burn.
Right now, he was already close to the end of his strength. If the enemy suddenly came back for a counterattack, all he could do would be to run for his life in disgrace.
Still, no matter what, the battle was over. Zhou Ning let out a sigh and opened his quest panel.
Instance Quest: [Reckoning] — In Progress
Quest Steps:
[Blood and Fire: Kill 10 Cursed God Cultists — Completed]
[Investigation: Discover the identity of the mysterious researcher — Completed]
[Patience and Slaughter I: Kill Priest Gaskell. Reward based on contribution — Completed]
[Patience and Slaughter II: Kill Priest Niam. Reward based on contribution — Completed]
[Patience and Slaughter III: Defeat or kill Harrison Rivers. Reward based on contribution — Completed]
[Destroy the Austin Manor: Destroy the Austin Manor, the quest location. Reward based on completion rate and contribution.]
Only the last objective remained. Zhou Ning thought for a moment, then beckoned Qingbai Wild Sake and Haicheng, who had been watching from outside, to come in. He assigned them a rescue mission for the players trapped inside.
He hadn't forgotten there were still quite a few players imprisoned in there.
After sending out the mission, Zhou Ning glanced at the players outside who had resurrected and were now looking on nervously, the corners of his lips curving into a slight smile.
In his plan, Qingbai Wild Sake, Haicheng, and these other players all played the role of reporters and commentators. From both positive and negative angles, they would upload footage of his battle to the forums, further spreading his influence.
His lone infiltration of enemy territory to save the Chosen Ones, combined with video of him summoning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to take on two opponents at once, would shock the player base for an entire year. It would reinforce the idea that he wasn't just Bryston's Child of the Plane, but also the main character of the Apocalypse Game itself.
Compared to other countries' Children of the Plane—like Emlyn the Spear of Judgement, or the walrus-man Dick—his presence was far greater. All the more reason to strike while the iron was hot, consolidating his position. That way, if he ever crossed paths with other Children of the Plane, the smart ones would know who to help, and the benefits in the future would be endless.
Before long, the two returned with a group of players from the underground. Zhou Ning efficiently handed out their rewards.
At that moment, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's summoning time had about twenty seconds left. After distributing rewards, Zhou Ning didn't waste any time—he ordered the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to use another Burst Stream of Destruction.
"Whoosh!"
As the Blue-Eyes White Dragon once again unleashed its white beam before slowly fading from the air, the entire manor was set ablaze, swallowed by a blazing-white sea of fire.
[You have completed the quest: Destroy the Austin Manor. You have gained 274,000 EXP.]
[You have completed the instance quest: Reckoning. Completion rate: 100%, Contribution: 93%. You have gained 1.86 million EXP!]
[Quest End]
One notification after another popped up on his panel.
Without carefully reading them, Zhou Ning took one last look at the Austin Manor, now burning fiercely. Sensing a squad of Supernaturals approaching, he smiled faintly, adjusted his hat in a gesture of farewell, and decided that tonight's hunt was over.
Using his incredible agility, Zhou Ning moved through the white-hot flames. In no time, he reached the manor's fence, bent his knees slightly, and vaulted over.
Thanks to the special effect of the Kaitou Kid title, he seemed to melt into the darkness as he sprinted through the old city's streets. Before long, he spotted another road ahead where a squad from the Earth Ring was hurrying toward the manor. Among them was a tall, thin, young-looking man—but one who gave Zhou Ning an extremely dangerous feeling.
As expected, the Supernaturals of this world were like the police in his previous life—always late.
Five minutes later, Emlyn arrived at the Austin Manor with his Earth Ring squad, only to find the ground littered with black-robed corpses, the manor blazing furiously, the very conspicuous corpses of two high-ranking professionals, and a few scattered players still lingering nearby.
He ordered his team to drag the bodies away and take the players back for questioning. Sweeping his sharp, hawk-like gaze over the manor, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Has Bryston always been like this?"
A member of the Earth Ring behind him shrugged. "Yes. You'll have to get used to it. This is Bryston—once known as the peaceful city of Darkland."
…
Far from the Austin Manor, Zhou Ning oriented himself and made his way back to his alchemy shop.
Only after he sat back down did he breathe a real sigh of relief. He was very satisfied with the night's gains—he had single-handedly destroyed a stronghold of the Cursed God Cult, vented his frustration, and likely achieved a high completion rate. If his guess was right, the rewards this time would be quite good.
He opened the quest panel to check his rewards.
[Instance Quest: Reckoning — Completed. Objectives achieved: Blood and Fire, Investigation, Patience and Slaughter I, Patience and Slaughter II, Patience and Slaughter III, Destroy the Austin Manor.]
[Quest Settling… Settling Complete. Performance Rating: Perfect.]
[Reputation with the Bryston Kingdom +2500. Current Relationship: Respect (1350/5000).]
[Reputation with the Cursed God Cult -5000. Current Relationship: Deadly Enemy (-5000/-5000). Maximum hatred reached.]
[For successfully completing the instance quest, you have obtained the Instance Keystone: Austin Manor. You may generate and manage the instance keystone via the instance interface.]
[Perfect rating reward: You gain an additional 50% EXP. You have gained 930,000 EXP and 1 Random Reward. Randomizing reward type…]
[You have received: General Skill.]
"Oh?" Zhou Ning blinked slightly. This time's reward was actually a general skill—usable by all classes. Although he had already created his Demon Hunter class, as the saying goes, more skills never hurt. In these competitive times, even a massage therapist needed a unique trick.
[Randomizing… Randomization complete. Please choose one of the following three skills.]
[Stealth: Cooldown 8 seconds. Allows you to hide in the shadows until you move or cancel manually.]
[Smash Strike: Deliver a deadly blow with a blunt weapon, stunning the enemy for 2 seconds.]
[Quick Heal: Heal an allied target for 387–593 HP. Healing scales with Spirit attribute.]