Chapter 388: "Apocalypse Forecast, Episode 3" Complete
The win rate of the Wandering Gunslinger exceeded 50% against nearly every class—be it peak-stage Warriors or Knights, or other ranged professions like Mages, Priests, or Meteorologists. Against Rogues, however, the Gunslinger's win rate was a staggering 76%.
Because of this, the pro players on the Apocalypse Forum reached a general consensus: the Wandering Gunslinger—once a subject of doubt—was now recognized as the strongest class in solo competition.
The first day of the preliminaries lasted until 11 p.m., and there were no real upsets. The Wolf-Dog Squad, which Zhou Ning had been following, all advanced smoothly. Even XB, who had been eliminated in the first round in his previous life, managed to defeat a Priest and advance—though the match was painfully close.
His opponent was six levels lower, yet almost managed to wear him down completely with a toxic-healer playstyle. XB barely won with both HP and MP emptied—a humiliating victory. His viewers, however, said they were used to it. After all, when it came to embarrassing moments, XB never failed to deliver.
At midnight, after nearly a month of delay, the long-awaited third episode of "Apocalypse Forecast" finally aired. This installment had been teased the very day the Darkland Incident ended, promising loads of juicy content about Wayne Sturwell, the new update, and the Pro League.
The moment it aired, the broadcast exploded in popularity.
Joining the familiar chubby host were several guests: recently eliminated pro Warrior "Sugarhill Big Bro," the veteran Warrior "Yanran Weile" (who had appeared in the previous episode), and Moonlight Star—Star Moon Club's only Warrior player.
In other words, this episode was a rare Warrior special.
Like the previous two, Episode 3 ran for over an hour, beginning with a recap of the first Apocalypse Pro League.
"With the League's prize pool surpassing 180 million, players from seven major regions—including the Byron Republic, Ruins, Sepharic, and the Bryston Kingdom—totaling 1.2 million participants, have entered the preliminaries."
"After more than a month of competition, Warriors have completely shed their reputation as low-damage, clunky 'gutter-tier' classes. They now rank second in player numbers—just behind Wandering Gunslingers—with an impressive 52.7% overall win rate. Moonlight Star, what's your outlook on Warriors in this Pro League?"
The chubby host gave Moonlight Star a teasing grin.
Having been knocked out by a Wandering Gunslinger in the first round himself, Moonlight Star looked visibly uncomfortable and managed only two words after a long pause: "Not bad."
The host, dissatisfied, turned to Sugarhill Big Bro.
"And what do you think?"
"What else is there to say? At equal skill level, Warriors are just Wandering Gunslingers' punching bags," Sugarhill replied bluntly.
The host clapped his hands.
"Exactly! That brings us to this episode's biggest controversy—are the classes too unbalanced?"
"In the Western regions like Clayton and the maritime kingdom of Revendis, where Mages, Knights, and Pirates dominate, Warriors' win rate is absurdly high—65.2%! The Warrior prodigy Alex even finished off a same-level Mage in 29 seconds flat."
"However, in the Bryston division, against Warriors, Wandering Gunslingers boast a 59.3% win rate. And here's a fun stat: in pro-level matchups, Gunslingers vs. Warriors had an even higher win rate of 62.5%."
"So… does that mean Wandering Gunslingers are simply overpowered? Share your opinions on the Apocalypse Forum's 'Forecast' board!"
The show then cut to interviews with several Warrior players discussing class balance. Most agreed that the solo champion of the inaugural Pro League would likely be a Wandering Gunslinger—but with proper preparation, there was still hope. The Warrior's second-tier subclass, the "Great Warrior," had stronger pursuit abilities and an all-weapon mastery perk. Once players advanced, they could potentially make a comeback in future updates.
The Level Rankings had also shifted drastically after the Darkland Incident. Many Darkland players who received massive EXP rewards surged ahead. Jinse remained at the top with Level 41.7, followed by "Sunken Star Beneath the Water," who possessed a Devil Fruit, at Level 40.6. Alex, once a steady second, dropped to fourth at exactly Level 40—good news for players in the national server.
In terms of NPC popularity, Wayne Sturwell still dominated unchallenged. Second was former heroine Cress Bradenreiser, who, alongside Leandro, heroically saved the Vick University campus in the latest series episode—though, unsurprisingly, her figure remained the main reason for her ranking. Third was High Priest Stuart Crow of the Ascetic Church, who had saved countless civilians and players during the Darkland disaster.
All three benefited massively from the Darkland storyline's exposure.
Next came the show's signature segment—Top 10 Unluckiest Players.
For the first two episodes, the crown went to viral streamer "Egg-Cutter Bro," who became famous for posting comedic shorts about his misfortunes in the Byron Republic—starting with being castrated by a wild animal at character creation.
This time, however, the title went to an ordinary player who, during the Darkland Incident, suffered eight consecutive deaths in just ten minutes—a record-breaking tragedy.
His first login coincided with the start of the catastrophe: he was immediately killed by a passing cultist and a spider apparition. The third and fourth deaths came from friendly fire by a Gigant Soldier—first from its pressure wave, then by falling into the crater it made while killing the spider. Deaths five and six were at the hands of Nyastora: one by curse (even Stuart Crow couldn't save him), the other while being chased by a Flesh Terror Beast. The seventh came from being accidentally hit by Horakhty's beam attack, and the eighth from being bitten to death by small spiders created by Matalita. He lost a full level—tragic beyond words.
The editing team, ever mischievous, compiled his deaths into a parody video synced to Wayne Sturwell's execution theme—dying, reviving, dying again—perfectly on beat.
Next came the NPC Power Rankings, largely unchanged. Zhou Ning (Wayne Sturwell) held the #1 spot thanks to the latest events. The second place, however, now belonged to Smith Hall of the War God Church in the Sepharic Kingdom, who called down an angel's descent to annihilate an entire manor—an awe-inspiring sight captured in stunning detail.
As before, the episode ended with the Top 5 Epic Moments, with the top three even being added to the game's official "Historic Moments" list—an incredible feat.
The fifth moment showed Zhou Ning at Aiden Manor, first defeating Charles VI with the Uranus, then slipping through fog using the White Emperor template to wipe out every enemy—cool enough that even Zhou Ning himself was impressed.
The fourth was his clean, brutal one-punch kill of a god—simple yet overwhelmingly powerful.
The third was the summoning of the Gigant Soldier, paired with the "Wrath of God" soundtrack—a breathtaking scene that gave players goosebumps.
The second featured him shattering Charles VII midair with one punch, then immediately slaying a demigod, leaving another frozen in fear, followed by the solemn image of him ringing the great bell atop Hedgestone Tower. Given its impact on the story, it was well-deserving of second place.
The top-ranked moment was none other than the fusion of the Three Divine Beasts, the summoning of the Creator God of Light, Horakhty, and the ensuing light that banished darkness and destroyed Nyastora. With the stirring "Duelist" theme in the background, every frame was pure art—an untouchable masterpiece in gaming history.
At the end, "Apocalypse Forecast" once again featured NPC dialogues mentioning Wayne Sturwell. With his Legend Value now above 5, new lines were unlocked.
This time, in a bar somewhere in Sepharic, a bartender told a player casually:
"Heard of Wayne Sturwell? They say he's a legend—a man who once killed a god."
The camera froze as the text zoomed in.
Then came a final video.
At the border between the Sepharic Kingdom and the Byron Republic, a river winding between the two nations had nearly dried up. Fish floated belly-up, dead; the banks were teeming with leaping frogs.
The screen locked in, and four bold characters appeared:
"Ten Plagues Descend!"
This episode of Apocalypse Forecast was undeniably high-quality, and the live chat exploded with waves of "666" comments.
…
After watching, Zhou Ning frowned slightly. The episode was indeed as packed with content as advertised, but a few things caught his attention.
First was Smith Hall of the War God Church. In his previous life's "Chosen One" timeline, Smith had always been a low-profile figure who didn't appear until the end of the second version—during the expedition to the Elemental Realm.
Now, however, he'd surfaced early—before Version 2 had even officially begun—and happened to be in Nathanael, Zhou Ning's current destination. Whether that would affect his plans remained to be seen.
Second was the final video. The river shown—the Flower River—was the second-largest river in the Apocalypse world, akin to the Nile on Earth. Zhou Ning couldn't tell whether it depicted an event already unfolding or just a teaser edited in by the AI system. Nor could he tell whether the so-called "Ten Plagues" would occur along that river—but he'd make sure to keep an eye out.
Still, overall, this episode of Apocalypse Forecast had painted both him and the Wandering Gunslinger class in a positive light. When he reached Nathanael, there would surely be plenty of new "fresh meat" waiting for him to harvest.
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