Chapter 151: Instant Kill
Zhou Ning's eyes dimmed as the two silver-white bolts of lightning within them faded. He didn't draw his gun but instead strolled out of the crowd with ease, making his way toward the battlefield outside the town.
Outside West Lin Town, the icy snow-bugs swarmed in uncountable numbers. Snow blanketed the sky, and the players on the field were locked in a frenzied melee. The battle was in full swing. Only a few players noticed Zhou Ning had silently stepped onto the battlefield and activated Conqueror's Haki.
The moment Zhou Ning set foot on the field, he didn't make any noticeable move—he simply paused in place and observed. Yet an overwhelming aura erupted from him like a violent storm, surging outward in all directions from his body. Where the blast swept through, the heavy snowfall instantly reversed course, swirling furiously like boiling water.
Immediately afterward, the dense ranks of icy snow-bugs on the battlefield fell into a stunned stupor. One after another exploded on the spot. Even the few towering Ice Giants among them—over level 20 and seemingly troublesome—collapsed to the ground in unison as Zhou Ning merely brushed past.
The game's combat log began to spam messages rapidly:
[Your Conqueror's Haki dealt 379 damage to Ice Snow-Bug. Mental stat difference: 42 (55 - 13). The Ice Snow-Bug was stunned. You killed the Ice Snow-Bug and gained 89 EXP.]
[Your Conqueror's Haki dealt 363 damage to Ice Snow-Bug. Mental stat difference: 43 (55 - 12). The Ice Snow-Bug was stunned. You killed the Ice Snow-Bug and gained 92 EXP.]
[Your Conqueror's Haki dealt 345 damage to Ice Snow-Bug. Mental stat difference: 41 (55 - 14). The Ice Snow-Bug was stunned. You killed the Ice Snow-Bug and gained 85 EXP.]
...
Players who witnessed this scene felt their hearts jolt. Their very breathing slowed.
They knew the performance bonuses from Stylish Gunplay and Elegant Footwork applied to all skills. But in their eyes, this moment felt like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Zhou Ning's black trench coat fluttered wildly in the wind and snow as he walked forward. Wherever he passed, waves of Ice Snow-Bugs exploded in unison, as neat as wheat being harvested.
Though the stamina cost was high, the attack effects of Master-level Conqueror's Haki far surpassed the Intermediate level. With 55 points in Spirit, the numerous Ice Snow-Bugs—mostly around level 10 and with Spirit stats below 15—stood no chance against the pressure of Master-level Conqueror's Haki. They were instantly killed, effortlessly clearing the screen in one overwhelming sweep. The visual impact was tremendous.
Many players still locked in battle suddenly noticed the monsters in front of them had already collapsed—violently, no less. They looked on in astonishment as Zhou Ning continued his leisurely stroll, never once breaking stride.
Damn… that's too freaking cool! When the hell will I be able to look that cool?!
All eyes were on Zhou Ning's graceful figure. Even though they'd seen him unleash Conqueror's Haki in promotional footage before, no in-game cinematic could compare to witnessing it firsthand.
And besides, his earlier scene slaughtering the Blood worms wasn't half as dramatic as this. He moved like he was out for a walk, and as the storm surrounding him swept forward, monsters that normally took hard-fought battles to kill simply exploded en masse with a pop. Even several Ice Giants—flagged as elite Skeleton-class enemies by their scans—were instantly annihilated, like fireworks going off.
The Gunslinger players on the scene were instantly filled with renewed confidence in their class's potential in Apocalypse.
I made the right choice! One day, I'll shine just like this!
The newly arrived students from Vick University, just like the other players, were stunned speechless. Zhou Ning hadn't deliberately shielded them from his aura. Even from a considerable distance, they couldn't help but tremble. Their legs went weak as an intense chill rose in their hearts.
One student at the front was so shocked and dazed that he nearly stumbled and fell. The teachers behind him grew visibly tense—they too felt the oppressive force emanating from Zhou Ning.
With the exception of a few, this was their first time witnessing Zhou Ning in action. Though they'd heard he was strong and already a living legend in Darkland City, seeing it for themselves was another matter entirely.
Ten seconds later, Zhou Ning came to a halt. There were no elemental monsters left standing within his line of sight. As he retracted his Conqueror's Haki, the upward-whirling snowflakes finally returned to their normal fall.
The ground was strewn with shattered ice and the corpses of Ice Snow-Bugs. Luminous blue blood flowed everywhere, almost comically toned down in color, like something "harmonized" for content moderation.
Zhou Ning brushed the snow off his shoulders. Honestly, high-level Conqueror's Haki was more than enough to instantly kill these Ice Snow-Bugs. With the clan's secret technique boosting him to Master-level, it was like slicing through bamboo—completely overwhelming enemies around level 10. The sheer shock value alone was immense.
Yup, the players' reactions are exactly what I was going for. Zhou Ning had to admit, this felt pretty damn good.
Of course, to maintain his cool-headed image, he kept an indifferent expression. After exchanging a few words with the arriving town leader, Brunson Meyer, and Warren, he returned to the town under the admiring stares of the players.
When he reopened his quest log, he saw the task had indeed been completed. That burst of full-power Conqueror's Haki just now had wiped out nearly 2,500 Ice Snow-Bugs in barely over ten seconds, netting him around 200,000 EXP. A total win.
But Zhou Ning hadn't gone all out just to show off. His real goal was to compete with the high-level professionals from Vick University and highlight the strength of Gunslingers—to protect his customer base. If players were swayed into switching to other classes, it could cost him tons of EXP.
Judging by the results, he'd clearly achieved his objective. Business was booming again. Time to set a small goal—get 50% of the players in West Lin Town to switch to Gunslinger within two days.
While casually interacting with the players, he opened the game forum again. Sure enough, twenty minutes later, someone had already posted a polished combat highlight. The uploader? His favored in-game commentator, Qingbai Wild Sake.
The title: "Winter Has Come: Wayne Sturwell Showcases Overwhelming Power Once Again!"
The title was long, but the video itself was short—just over two minutes. It began with town chief Brunson Meyer rallying the troops, followed by players receiving the mission to defend the town. Then came the brutal battle, with players dying left and right to the Ice Snow-Bugs. The edited footage painted the struggle as desperate and tragic.
Then came Wayne Sturwell's entrance. Conqueror's Haki tore through the battlefield like a raging storm. Everywhere he walked, monsters dropped instantly. The footage was jaw-dropping.
In just a few seconds, the video's comment section exploded with thousands of messages:
"Holy shit, this guy really knows how to make an entrance!"
"I was one of the players there. Yeah, he looked cool, but damn it, he stole my kills! I had that mob down to 10% health and pop—gone. I lost 90% of the EXP!"
"Blaming others when you're just bad? With scapegoating skills like that, maybe sell fried rice instead. This was obviously a scripted moment. The protagonist shows up, the quest gets cleared, and everything after is just cutscene fluff. No way current-level players could deal with an invasion like that." — Qingbai Wild Sake's reply.
"Definitely scripted. Whether it's anime or games, the protagonist always shows up at the last second to save the day."
Zhou Ning: …
Great editing. Even better commentary. This Qingbai Wild Sake guy really has talent.
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