Chapter 86 – Successful Escape
At the same time, several related notifications popped up on Zhou Ning's panel.
[You have entered combat mode.]
[Based on your level, you are able to access the following information.]
———
Name: ???
Total Level: 60
Class: Family Creed Knight
Stats: Strength ??, Agility ??, Vitality ??, Willpower 75, Spirit ??, Charisma 78
HP: ?
Status: Healthy
[Further Information Unknown]
Skills: Ancestral Will (Advanced), Mind Lash (Advanced), Demonization (Intermediate), [Further Unknown]
The level gap was too wide, leaving most data as question marks—but even from what was visible, Zhou Ning could tell: this wasn't a fight he could win.
Zhou Ning almost blacked out. A level 60 Family Creed Knight? Was this a joke…?
Almost simultaneously, he noticed the black-robed figure moving again. The man raised a palm toward Zhou Ning, and coldly uttered two ancient Frellic characters:
"Stasis."
Suddenly, Zhou Ning felt as if he'd been weighed down by a mountain. Even the slightest movement was a struggle.
[You have been subjected to ???'s Will Judgment! Your Willpower is 27. Judgment failed. You are afflicted with the Stasis status. Movement speed reduced by 75%.]
Right after that, a blue flame ignited at the man's fingertip and shot toward Zhou Ning like a bullet.
"If that hits me, I'm dead!"
His Observation Haki screamed a warning. Just as the flame flew forth, Zhou Ning's right hand fired a grappling hook, which latched onto a distant chandelier. The recoil instantly flung him through the air over ten meters, and he landed clutching the chandelier. Meanwhile, the blue flame struck the wall where he'd just been standing—and it erupted in flames.
Zhou Ning let out a breath of relief. The stasis effect on his body abruptly lifted. So this Family Creed Knight wasn't quite invincible after all—at least the range was under 20 meters.
Retracting the hook, Zhou Ning grabbed the chandelier with his left hand and activated Rapid Pursuit. Without hesitation, he began pulling the trigger at the approaching black-robed man. But the man's HP was simply too high. Four shots in rapid succession—Ripple Shot, Fatal Countershot, Point-Blank Killshot, Aerial Shot—all slammed home. His special gauge was more than halfway drained… yet he'd only managed to shave off 10% of the target's health.
When the man's HP dipped by 10%, Zhou Ning was stunned to see his body rapidly expand into a two-to-three-meter-tall monster. Enormous ram horns burst out from the sides of his head.
A heavy stench of sulfur filled the air.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the demonized black-robed man closed the distance. He muttered something under his breath, and Zhou Ning's body suddenly felt weighed down, as if an invisible force were dragging him down.
Glass shattered mid-air as Zhou Ning, still clinging to the chandelier, accidentally ripped it free and came crashing down with it.
The pressure vanished. Zhou Ning released the broken chandelier and braced to land—planning to forward-roll on impact and then use Evasive Shot to create distance. But before he even hit the ground, he felt a force dragging him backward—as though something were altering his trajectory and even his inertia.
Zhou Ning took a deep breath. This Family Creed Knight was practically a hard counter for agile classes like his.
At that critical moment, he fired into the ground, using the recoil to launch himself into the air again. His grappling hook shot out once more—this time accurately catching the window ledge ahead. Using the momentum, Zhou Ning flung himself straight toward the window.
Crash!
Glass shattered as his body burst through it. After a nearly imperceptible pause, he tumbled out onto the grass beyond.
From the very beginning, Zhou Ning hadn't planned to fight to the death once he recognized the strength of his opponent. His only thought had been escape.
The black-robed man had already reached the window by now. A glowing fireball coalesced in his hand and was hurled after Zhou Ning, targeting his escape route.
Zhou Ning had barely hit the ground when he rolled aside, dodging the attack, then knelt and fired back toward the window.
Earlier, in that brief moment of pause, he'd planted an explosive on the window ledge.
A red-hot bullet flew from his gun. Sparks ignited the charge. Chain reaction.
BOOM!!
Flames erupted. Heat blasted against Zhou Ning's clothes.
A fiery column rose skyward. Chunks of rubble and dirt exploded into the air. The ceiling above the window crumbled and began to collapse.
[Your homemade explosive dealt 372 damage to ???!]
[Your homemade explosive dealt 294 damage to ???!]
[??? is now Slightly Burned!]
[??? has entered a Rage state.]
Zhou Ning glanced at the prompts and was speechless. The bomb looked impressive, but it had only taken out 20% of the man's HP. He still had no chance of winning.
Using the explosion as cover, Zhou Ning nimbly vaulted the iron fence and fled toward the corner of the street.
By now, the gunfire and explosion had woken the entire street. Even supernatural patrolmen from a block away had been alerted and were rushing over.
Back at the window, rubble shifted. The black-robed man, now returned to human form, stood with a stormy expression. A powerful magical aura pulsed from him, scattering the debris around. He tilted his head, listening carefully, then retreated into the building. Moments later, the entire house was engulfed in flames.
Once safely around the corner and out of sight, Zhou Ning's battle suit disassembled itself, morphing back into ordinary clothing.
He returned to the inn and retrieved the mirror. Not daring to linger, he continued on to another street. Only when he was among a crowd of pedestrians did he finally exhale in relief.
He knew the danger had finally passed.
He hadn't expected tonight to be so intense—he'd encountered a level 60 Family Creed Knight alone and still managed to escape intact…
But now that his adrenaline had settled, he realized something: after obtaining that unknown artifact, he'd started acting on impulse. Was that the artifact's negative effect, or was he just getting arrogant?
Still, dangerous as it had been, tonight's mission wasn't without its rewards. He now knew there was an Family Creed Knight inside the Curse God Cult. In the Bryston Kingdom, only nineteen noble families possessed Ancestral abilities. Each family's Ancestral power was unique, so identifying the black-robed man wouldn't be hard—especially if you had the money to buy intel.
Zhou Ning gave it some thought and decided not to return directly. Instead, he took a detour to Donald Street in the Canal District.
After walking for less than three minutes, he arrived at a bar called Booze and Wolverines. In his past life's game, this was one of the West family's properties. It not only sold alcohol, but also intelligence. Most importantly, it was the only intelligence outlet in all of Darkland that was open to players.
It was still before 8 p.m.—prime time for Darkland citizens, who believed that without nightlife, there was no sex life. The bar was buzzing with activity. Zhou Ning could hear the din and clinking of glasses from outside.
Inside, the bar's thick heat almost knocked him out. He adjusted his hat, pushed through the crowd, and made his way to the counter.
"One Jinhan beer."
This was a fermented brew from the Jinhan region of Bryston, famous for its excellent sunlight and high-quality hops.
"Five Venis," the bartender said smoothly, handing Zhou Ning a large mug of beer.
Zhou Ning pulled out a few coins, counted out five Venis, and took a sip. The beer was rich and flavorful, with a slight sweetness.
"Not bad," Zhou Ning remarked genuinely, fiddling with the West family's VIP card in his hand.