Chapter 287: Black Bull Recurve Bow
After reaching Level 65, Zhou Ning's combat strength was now considered among the very peak within the Bryston Kingdom.
Among the people he knew, Harrison Rivers had only recently been at Level 64, while the levels of Count Robbins and Professor Bislok were unknown. Factoring in the hidden high-ranked professionals within Bryston, there should only be a dozen or so in total.
He could now be counted among the very top echelon.
But his flaws were still obvious. Whether in close combat or ranged, his offensive style leaned too heavily toward physical attacks, with little means of mystical combat. If he ran into a monster immune to physical damage, it would be a real headache.
That was why talismans were such an important supplement for him in battle—especially since he had nine Baryals that could be used infinitely.
Previously, Molly had taught him a few relatively simple talisman applications, such as Flame Burn from the fire element, Thorn Wall from the wood element, and Stone Spike from the earth element. Now was the perfect chance to read more about talisman studies.
Most of the talismans described in this book were ones Molly had already covered, but there were still a few parts he had never seen before.
Overall, the entire book was filled with dull, flavorless mysticism theories and talisman lore, peppered with obscure ancient terminology and diagrams. Zhou Ning patiently read through it, and after half a minute, information finally popped up on his panel.
[You are engaging in self-study of Mysticism. Thanks to your Willpower, your proficiency has increased by 12 points (Extreme Calm +1.2).]
[You are engaging in self-study of Occultism. Thanks to your Willpower, your proficiency has increased by 15 points (Extreme Calm +1.5).]
[You have mastered new talisman usage methods.]
Because his Willpower had reached 105, reading through the 230-page book had given him nearly 350 proficiency points in Mysticism. That was a far cry from the measly 2 or 3 points he'd scraped together before, and it finally raised his Mysticism to the Advanced level, filling his mind with a wealth of occult knowledge.
As for the new talismans, he learned two: one was the Fire Dragon Talisman, the other was a hypnotic talisman using Chaval's Queen of Spades playing card.
If he'd studied like this back in school, forget about 985—he would've at least secured a spot in a 211.
Glancing at his watch, he saw it was already 12:30. Zhou Ning took from his inventory the unidentified relic from Aaron Ingersoll, [Will Lagrie's Placement], and carefully stroked its surface. It felt damp and slippery, like the skin of a snake.
According to the system prompt, once worn, this glove would allow the user to cast two random necromancy spells per day, at the cost of amplifying one of their own flaws.
So what was his flaw? Being too handsome and not fitting in with others?
Zhou Ning slipped Will Lagrie's Placement onto his hand.
Instantly, a wail seemed to echo from the depths of his soul. The glove fused tightly with the skin of his left hand, snug and seamless, looking no different from an ordinary red glove.
Closing his eyes, Zhou Ning focused. This time, his luck wasn't great.
The two necromancy spells he received were Bone Spear and Summon Undead. On the surface they seemed balanced—one offensive, one summoning—but in truth, neither was very impressive.
He raised his hand, and in his palm a pale bone spear slowly formed. He could wield it directly in melee or throw it like a javelin, but its destructive power was on par with his normal attacks, nothing more.
As for Summon Undead? Just as the name suggested, it let him summon a dead creature under his command. Its strength was tied to his Spirit attribute. But compared to Frostmourne lying in his inventory, this spell was a hundred times weaker.
And the side effect… Zhou Ning probed a bit, but didn't feel anything obvious. It must be something buried deep in his subconscious.
He slipped off the glove and stored it back into his inventory.
The test wasn't bad. With luck, this thing could be useful—if it randomly gave him a Tier 5 spell, it could be a real trump card.
"Guided by the moon, let's go adventuring! Where to? Let the ship drift—toward the Sea of Mist—Bryston? Ravendell? Or Ruins? Ha! A fleet of warships is charging at us—let's sink them with cannons!"
From the deck outside came a chorus of singing, voices that sounded like Richie Burke and his crew, along with several other players. Their howling sounded ghostly—probably drunk at a party. Zhou Ning's lips twitched. Oddly, he wasn't sleepy at all, so he pulled up the simulator.
After his last flawless crossing, his balance had risen to an unprecedented 440 traversal coins. After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ning opened the lottery page.
He had never drawn from the [Endless War] pool before, as its price of 10 coins per draw was daunting. But with a fortune in hand, courage swelled with wealth, and he couldn't resist splurging.
He opened the lottery page, selected the Endless War pool, and went for a ten-pull.
[You obtained a Rare Item: Improved Kalashnikov Assault Rifle, with 7.62x39mm M43 rounds.]
[You obtained a Rare Item: FAL Assault Rifle, with 7.99x33mm rounds.]
[You obtained a Rare Item: Playboy 50th Anniversary Edition.]
...
[You obtained an Epic Item: Black Bull Recurve Bow.]
...
Hm? A red drop?
This ten-pull was absurdly lucky, like he'd activated a four-leaf clover buff. He pulled eight firearms in one go. Because Endless War spanned a long timeline, he drew two Enfield rifles from the 1940s and five assault rifles from the 1980s–90s. All of them were high-grade, though still inferior to extraordinary weapons like Ebony and White Ivory. Still, whether sold to Sunwatchers or other players, they'd fetch a fine price.
And among them was an Epic item. Not a loss at all.
Zhou Ning pulled the Black Bull Recurve Bow from his inventory and examined it.
In the Marvel story, this was Hawkeye's weapon after the Joker turned him into a Lizardman. The bow was crafted from a special tension-alloy material, with a Novax-reinforced fiber bowstring. When taut, it could release over fifty times the energy of a normal sinew string. By pressing the button at the center grip, the bow folded inward, the ends straightening and ejecting bayonets, transforming it into a rifle. The design was dazzlingly cool.
Though not of much use to him, adding it to his collection lit up another slot in the [Endless War] cabinet within the Hall of Curiosities, unlocking a new synergy:
Bizarre Armaments: Black Bull Recurve Bow + ???? + ???? + ????? + ????
He guessed Vibranium Shield and Mjolnir were among them. He could always try his luck again later.
Collecting the Black Bull Recurve Bow granted +2 Agility and refunded 15 traversal coins. Slightly a loss, but acceptable. He marked the firearms with high prices and tossed them into the guild shop.
After the draw, he still had 340 traversal coins left—still a fortune. Zhou Ning reopened the simulator, chose the new map "Endless War II," and began another crossing.
This new map had the same name as the Marvel world, and the price was cheap—only 120 traversal coins. Zhou Ning didn't feel the slightest pinch.