Chapter 69: Roaming Gunman
In the basement of the Trappist Church, within an elegantly decorated room, Chin West adjusted his monocle, concentrating on the information he had gathered over the past few days.
The king's assassination had already left him deeply anxious, and the extraordinary events of recent days were more numerous than those of the last decade combined. Dockworkers were dying mysteriously, one after another. Some even claimed to have seen active undead near the docks—a claim that was simply unbelievable.
Meanwhile, in the slums, a small, unknown gang had been annihilated overnight. The scene was a bloodbath, bearing the telltale signs of a cult ritual.
Connecting this to the recent sacrifice and the king's assassination, Chin West sensed a terrible malice at work.
His intuition told him that this was all connected to the Curse Cult and the Life Alchemy Society.
Although the king's assassination was most likely the work of the lunatics from the Life Alchemy Society, the Curse Cult was, in his mind, far more frightening.
Unbeknownst to most, the Curse Cult's tentacles had penetrated every corner of Dockland. Who would have thought that Elvis Bart, a lecturer at Vic University, would be one of their agents?
Chin was even certain they had people among the kingdom's high-ranking officials; there were simply too many suspicious points surrounding the king's assassination.
Furthermore, one particular development worried Chin immensely.
In the past few days, immortal outsiders had appeared in various places throughout Brighton. They behaved strangely, sometimes disappearing in a flash or moving as if the ground were on fire. They had a peculiar habit of jumping constantly as they walked, and they would be resurrected nearby shortly after being killed.
These characteristics perfectly matched Elan's prophecy. This group might be the 'chosen ones' from the prophecy. But what if these chosen ones were to join the Curse Cult?
The thought made Chin shudder.
…
Elsewhere, in an alchemy laboratory, Zhou Ning was studying the creation of new classes.
In the game, players had to travel north to find an old NPC named Kyle for certification, who would then assess if their new class skills were qualified.
In reality, it wasn't nearly so troublesome. He could see the skill progress and the option to create a new class directly on his game panel, saving him the trip to the North. Until now, however, that option had always been grayed out.
Opening the control panel again, he saw that the "Create New Class" button next to his current class was now lit. After clicking it, a prompt appeared on the panel:
[6 class specialties (click to view). Test complete. Current count: 7.]
[2 core buff skills (click to view). Test complete. Current count: 2.]
[10 active skills (click to view). Test complete. Current count: 10.]
[Test passed. Do you want to create a new class? Yes/No.]
Zhou Ning took a deep breath. He had never created a new class in his previous life, so he had no idea what the process entailed. He felt strangely nervous.
"Yes."
A new prompt appeared on the panel:
[Please enter the new class name.]
Zhou Ning was prepared. "Roaming Gunman!"
[New class name: Roaming Gunman. Are you sure?]
"Confirm."
[Please select a primary attribute.]
"Agility."
There was no need to hesitate. In Apocalypse, Agility determined movement speed, attack speed, and dodge chance, while also providing a bonus to ranged attack power. Every one of those stats was vital for a Roaming Gunman.
Upon successful selection, his mana would be replaced by Focus. The initial Focus value was equal to his Agility multiplied by 3. Most of his skills would now consume Focus to activate, and their stamina cost would be reduced accordingly.
[Your new class has been created! You have achieved the milestone: [Class Creator]. The class emblem has been sent to your inventory. Do you wish to change to this class? Yes/No?]
Obviously, yes!
[Class change successful! You have gained a new class, [Roaming Gunman LV 1], granting +3 Agility (+0.35 Physique), +1 Stamina, and +1 Spirit. You have gained 2 free attribute points. As this is your first class change, you will receive an additional 1 gold skill point.]
[Your primary class has changed. Your stamina bonus has increased. 1 Stamina now grants 12 Health and 15 Stamina Points.]
In an instant, Zhou Ning felt his body undergoing a tremendous transformation as a new power coursed through him.
At the same time, a flood of notifications filled his panel.
[Your primary attribute has been set to Agility.]
[You have gained a new resource bar: Focus. The initial value is based on your primary attribute, Agility.]
[You have gained a new talent: [Ultra-Long-Range Vision (Blue)]]
[You have gained a new Personal Specialty: [Quick Draw]]
[You have gained a new Personal Specialty: [Fancy Gunnery]]
Zhou Ning felt reborn. His entire body was filled with a leopard's agility, and his senses had sharpened significantly.
His vision, in particular, was astonishing. He could now clearly see the patterns on the herbs lining the shelves, the tiny bubbles suspended in his alchemical test tubes, and even the grease dripping from the distant whale oil lamp.
I have the eyes of an eagle and the speed of a leopard, Zhou Ning thought. If I just had the ears of a wolf and the strength of a bear, I could cosplay as Sheriff Bravestarr.
Success! Zhou Ning clenched his fist and pulled up his game panel.
——————
Name: Zhou Ning/Wayne Stewell
Race: Human
Template: Elite NPC [Open Beta Countdown: 40 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes]
Level: 14
Experience: 53200
Class: Roaming Gunman LV 1 [1/30]
Sub-class: Linguist LV 3 [3/10] / Alchemy Apprentice LV 10 [10/10]
Affinities: Nature 0, Arcane 0
Talents: Tony Stark (Purple), Gun Fu: Deadly Rhythm (Blue), Athletic Genius (Blue), Ultra-Long-Range Vision (Blue), Portable Grandpa (Purple)
Attributes: Strength 24, Agility 32, Vitality 20, Willpower 25, Spirit 41, Charm 100
Health: 240/240
Stamina: 300/300
Willpower: 25/25
Focus: 96
Available Points: 2 Free Attribute Points, 1 Gold Skill Point
Life Skills: Alchemy (Intermediate), Mysticism (Intermediate), Precision Machinery Manufacturing (Expert), Gambling (Intermediate), Puppet Alchemy (Elementary), Devil Fruit Creation
General Skills: Dodge (Basic), English Proficiency (Expert), Esperanto Proficiency (Expert), Pickpocketing (Intermediate), Basic Marksmanship (Basic), Lockpicking Proficiency (Expert)
Class Skills: Ripple Breathing (Basic), Mozambique Drill (Basic), C.A.R. System (Basic), Ripple Shot (Basic), Rapid Pursuit (Intermediate), Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate), Armament Haki (Basic), Observation Haki (Basic), Evasive Shot (Basic), Deadly Headshot (Basic), Divine Evasion (Basic)
(New!) Ripple Blade (Basic), Floating Shot (Basic), Deadly Ricochet (Basic)
Personal Specialties: Dexterity, Encyclopedia, Extreme Calmness, Basic Endurance (Intermediate), Firearms Knowledge, Extraordinary Physique (Elite), Extraordinary Charisma (Elite), Jungle Spirit (Elite)
(New!) Quick Draw: Your draw seems instinctual, increasing your draw speed by 25%.
(New!) Fancy Gunnery: The goal of every roaming gunman. Skill Aesthetics +50%, Skill Attack Power +3%, Agility +2.
Clan Motto: None
Influence: 200
Legendary: 4
Combat Power: 2142
[Assessment: You now possess a complete class system, and your strength has improved. It is, however, still vastly inferior to your good looks.]
Zhou Ning: ...
He was already learning to ignore the panel's snide commentary.
After the class change, his combat power had increased by a full third, but Zhou Ning felt the actual improvement was far greater. He was confident he could now take on two of his former self.
Not only were his attributes and skills different, but the addition of the Focus bar had also greatly improved his combat endurance.
I still have 53,000 experience points left. No reason to save them. Might as well invest them in my main class and level up twice.
[[Roaming Gunman] has advanced to Level 2! Agility +3 (+0.35 from Extraordinary Physique), Vitality +1, Spirit +1. You have gained 2 free attribute points.]
[[Roaming Gunman] has advanced to Level 3! Agility +3 (+0.35 from Extraordinary Physique), Vitality +1, Spirit +1. You have gained 2 free attribute points.]
After reaching Level 3, he had gained another four free attribute points. Zhou Ning dumped them all into Agility, bringing the total to a staggering 43 points. His firearm damage, attack speed, and movement speed had all seen a massive improvement.
It was true that he was still no match for BOSS-level figures like Leonardo and Chin West, who were loaded with elite specialties and unique legacies, but he was finally on the right track.
As long as I make good use of the simulators and the players, he thought, it's only a matter of time before I surpass them.
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