Chapter 52: Fusion
Not bad at all. Even though he didn't manage to obtain intermediate swordsmanship or the Navy Six Styles, Zhou Ning got exactly what he wanted most—Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki—and even picked up a versatile skill like Dodge. All in all, a huge gain.
At the very least, he didn't come out of it empty-handed.
A flood of knowledge surged into his mind. Zhou Ning's head was now filled with insights about Observation and Conqueror's Haki—how to project Conqueror's Haki outward, how to use Observation Haki in combat, and more.
Three new skills also appeared on his panel:
[Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate)]: A qualification only those born to be kings possess. +3 to Mental Strength. Allows you to project your aura outward to damage and intimidate nearby enemies. The effect depends on the difference in mental strength between you and your enemies. Base duration: 0.36 seconds. If the disparity is too great, it may also cause stun. (This skill cannot be used for fusion.)
[Observation Haki (Beginner)]: Passive skill. +1 to Mental Strength. Sharpens the five senses, allowing you to predict and dodge danger. (This skill cannot be used for fusion.)
[Dodge (Beginner)]: A general-purpose skill that increases your chances of dodging enemy attacks.
What a god-tier skill!
Zhou Ning was impressed as he read the description for Conqueror's Haki. Although it couldn't be fused, its effects were essentially a combination of AoE damage and crowd control. Once his mental stats increased, he would be able to handle both powerful enemies and mobs with ease. This one skill alone could elevate his combat power by an entire tier.
Checking his EXP, Zhou Ning noted that although he had burned through it upgrading to Alchemy Apprentice, after several days of intense grinding, he had over 73,000 experience points again.
Time to spend some and boost his combat strength.
Life skills could also be fused, but now wasn't the time. With a major battle looming, every point had to count.
Currently, the skills suitable for fusion included: Marksmanship Mastery (Beginner), Ripple Breathing Technique (Beginner), Mozambique Drill (Beginner), C.A.R. Shooting Technique (Beginner), Dodge (Beginner), and Armament Haki (Beginner).
Rapid Pursuit and Ripple Shot were already fused skills and couldn't be fused again, so they didn't appear in the list.
Zhou Ning spent 12,000 EXP to raise both Marksmanship Mastery and Dodge to Intermediate, then chose to fuse them. Since it was his second time using Marksmanship Mastery in a fusion, it cost an extra 4,000 EXP, but it was worth it.
[Fuse Firearms Mastery (Intermediate) with Dodge (Intermediate)? This fusion will cost 12,000 EXP. Success rate: 50%.]
Zhou Ning clicked "Yes" without hesitation. Both Dodge and Marksmanship Mastery were reset to Beginner as their experience was wiped.
[Fusion successful. You've obtained the skill: Evasive Shot (Beginner).]
[Evasive Shot (Beginner)]: A highly mobile shooting technique. While backstepping, consumes an extra 4 Stamina. Fires a shot forward that deals 135% of normal attack damage.
"Success!"
Zhou Ning's eyes lit up. As expected, Evasion was a universal fusion material. This Evasive Shot was the best combo he could've hoped for—offense and defense in one, and it even added weapon damage. In terms of utility, it was arguably better than a warrior's Evasive Slash. After all, firearms were ranged weapons and paired perfectly with evasive maneuvers.
Riding that momentum, Zhou Ning turned his attention to Armament Haki. Upgrading it to Intermediate cost three times the usual EXP—18,000 points. He spent 26,000 EXP to raise both Armament Haki and the Mozambique Drill to Intermediate and selected fusion again.
[Fuse Armament Haki (Intermediate) with Mozambique Drill (Intermediate)? This fusion will cost 12,000 EXP. Success rate: 36%.]
A bit too low, wasn't it?
Zhou Ning hesitated for a moment, then chose "No." Gritting his teeth, he used another 20,000 EXP to upgrade Mozambique Drill to Advanced. The fusion success rate jumped to 58%.
Let's do this!
[Fusion successful. You've obtained the skill: Point-Blank Killshot (Beginner).]
[Point-Blank Killshot (Beginner)]: A close-quarters firearm technique. Fires a headshot with a bullet imbued with Armament Haki, dealing massive damage.
Nice. Zhou Ning was satisfied. While this skill wasn't as versatile as Evasive Shot, it might even out-damage Ripple Shot when it came to pure offense.
He still had some EXP left. After thinking it over, Zhou Ning decided to upgrade Ripple Breathing Technique. According to his class plan, combat skills weren't urgent at the moment. Ripple Breathing not only boosted Strength and Agility but also provided passive gains with daily training. In just a few days, it had already raised his Agility by 1 point. Putting EXP into this was totally worth it.
His EXP was now completely spent. As for the 11 free stat points he had left—might as well go all in.
He assigned 8 points to Mental Strength and 3 to Willpower to patch up his slight weakness in status resistance.
After pouring in a massive amount of EXP, Zhou Ning's stats had been completely transformed. His Mental Strength, in particular, was now comparable to a mage's.
Name: Zhou Ning / Wayne Sturwell
Race: Human
Template: Elite NPC [Closed Beta Countdown: 42d 0h 22m]
Level: 14
Class: Student / Teaching Assistant [1/10]
Subclass: Linguist [3/10] / Alchemy Apprentice [10/10]
Affinity with Natural Force: 0
Affinity with Arcane Power: 0
Talents: Tony Stark (Purple), Gun-Fu: Deadly Rhythm (Blue), Athletic Prodigy (Blue)
Attributes:
Strength: 24
Agility: 27
Stamina: 19
Willpower: 25
Mental Strength/Spirit: 40
Charisma: 99 (All attributes except Charisma +1 from Hall of Curiosities synergy)
Health: 190/190
Stamina: 208/208
Willpower: 17/25
Mana: 0
Free Points: 0
Life Skills: Alchemy (Intermediate), Occultism (Intermediate), Precision Machinery Crafting (Expert), Gambling (Advanced)
General Skills: (Click to View)
Personal Traits/Specialties:
– Dexterous Hands: Your hands are extremely nimble, suitable for delicate operations.
– Encyclopedic Memory: Your knowledge reserves far exceed most. +1 Mental Strength.
– Extremely Calmness: You maintain composure in all situations. Learning Speed +10%.
– Intermediate Endurance: +0.15 Stamina growth per level, +2 Willpower. Slight resistance to hunger, thirst, cold, and other minor debuffs.
– Firearms Knowledge Expertise: You thoroughly understand the structure of guns.
– Extraordinary Physique (Elite): Your body is naturally powerful. +0.35 primary stat growth per level.
Clan Motto: None
Influence: 200
Legend Rating: 3
Combat Power Rating: 1295
Note: Your combat strength surpasses most ordinary people. Even against professionals, you stand a fighting chance.
Zhou Ning: …
Damn, I finally got a decent evaluation!
His combat rating had skyrocketed from 399 to 1295. With the Phoenix Battle Suit equipped, he'd probably break 5000. Right now, he was scarily strong.
Itching to test out Conqueror's Haki, Zhou Ning shifted his gaze from Sherlock to XB.
At that moment, XB was brimming with excitement, ready for the next part of the plot. Suddenly, he felt a terrifying gaze sweep over him. Looking up, he met Zhou Ning's radiant smile.
"Boss, what's up?" XB had no idea he'd just narrowly escaped being used as a guinea pig and asked nervously.
"Nothing," Zhou Ning said with a calm smile.
The carriage came to a stop near the Withershire Cathedral Square—a place used to welcome foreign dignitaries, host celebrations, or for public prayer. The carriage couldn't go further.
As Sherlock lifted the curtain and prepared to step out, Zhou Ning suddenly had a gut feeling—a near-certain intuition: Sherlock was about to trip!
Then he watched Sherlock land lightly, glance back at him, and say, "Let's go. They should be in the plaza."
But as if fate played along, in his haste, Sherlock stepped on a protruding stone and stumbled to the ground.
Just as expected. Zhou Ning smiled faintly and reached out to pull him up.
Observation Haki was even stronger than he imagined. Even at the beginner level, it allowed him to intuitively sense what someone was about to do.
Granted, this sort of intuition might be fleeting in the heat of real battle, and hard to act on every time—but even catching it once could shift the tide of a fight.
Crossing the bridge ahead, they approached Withershire Cathedral Square, where the Bryston Kingdom's welcoming music "Matilda" was playing.
It seemed like everything was normal.
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