Chapter 52: Fusion
Not bad, Zhou Ning thought. Although I didn't get Intermediate Swordsmanship or the Navy's Six Styles, I got Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki—the two I wanted most. Plus, I got an all-purpose skill like Dodge. This is a huge win.
At the very least, he hadn't lost out.
A massive amount of information flooded Zhou Ning's mind, providing him with a deep understanding of both Observation and Conqueror's Haki—how to release the latter, how to apply the former in battle, and much more.
Three new skills also appeared on his panel.
[Heroic Haki (Intermediate)]: A trait possessed only by one with the disposition of a king. Grants a passive +3 to your Spirit. This aura can damage and stun surrounding enemies, with the effect's strength determined by the difference in Spirit between you and the enemy. The base stun duration is 0.36 seconds. If the Spirit difference is great enough, it may cause a prolonged stun effect. (This skill cannot be used in fusions.)
[Observation Haki (Basic)]: A passive skill. Grants a passive +1 to your Spirit. It heightens all five senses and can be used to predict and avoid danger. (This skill cannot be used in fusions.)
[Dodge (Basic)]: A general skill that grants a better chance of evading enemy attacks.
What an amazing skill!
Zhou Ning stared at the description for Heroic Haki in amazement. Even though it couldn't be used for fusion, its effect was essentially a group damage and crowd control ability. Once his Spirit attribute was high enough, it would make dealing with powerful enemies or large groups much easier. This skill alone would elevate his combat effectiveness to a whole new level.
He checked his experience points. He had spent them all upgrading Alchemist Apprentice, but after a few days of intense effort, his available experience had climbed back up to over 73,000. He could afford to spend a little to boost his combat power. While life skills could be fused, it wasn't a priority right now. With a war looming, his experience had to be used for maximum effect.
The common skills Zhou Ning had that were suitable for fusion were: Shooting Mastery (Basic), Ripple Breathing (Basic), Mozambique Shooting (Basic), CAR Shooting (Basic), Dodge (Basic), and Armament Haki (Basic). His other skills, [John Wick] and [Ripple Shot], were already fused skills and couldn't be combined a second time, so they didn't appear on the list.
Zhou Ning spent 12,000 experience points to upgrade both Shooting Mastery and Dodge to Intermediate. He then selected Skill Fusion. Because this was the second time he was using Shooting Mastery in a synthesis, the fusion cost an extra 4,000 experience, but it was worth it.
[Would you like to fuse Shooting Mastery (Intermediate) and Dodge (Intermediate)? This fusion will consume 12,000 experience points. Success Rate: 50%]
He chose yes without hesitation.
[Fusion successful! You have gained the skill: [Dodge Shot (Basic)].]
[Dodge Shot (Basic)]: An extremely flexible shooting technique. Dodging backward consumes an additional 4 stamina. Shooting while moving forward deals 135% of normal attack damage.
"Success!"
Zhou Ning's eyes lit up. Dodge truly was an all-purpose skill, perfect for fusions. This dodge-and-shoot combination was the best he could have hoped for, offering both offense and defense with a bonus to weapon damage. It was even more effective than a warrior's dodge-slash, as shooting allowed for long-range damage that paired perfectly with the distance created by the dodge.
Striking while the iron was hot, Zhou Ning turned his attention to Armament Haki. Upgrading it to the intermediate level was three times more expensive than ordinary skills, requiring 18,000 experience points. He spent a total of 26,000 experience to upgrade both Armament Haki and Mozambique Shooting to Intermediate and then chose to fuse them.
[Would you like to fuse Armament Haki (Intermediate) and Mozambique Shooting (Intermediate)? This fusion will consume 12,000 experience points. Success Rate: 36%]
Isn't that a bit low?
Zhou Ning hesitated for a moment before canceling the fusion. Gritting his teeth, he spent another 20,000 experience points to upgrade Mozambique Shooting from Intermediate to Advanced. When he checked the fusion success rate again, it had increased from 36% to 58%.
Let's risk it.
[Fusion successful! You have gained the skill: [Fatal Direct Shot (Basic)].]
[Fatal Direct Shot (Basic)]: A close-quarters gunfighting technique that uses a bullet wrapped in Armament Haki to headshot a target, causing devastating damage.
Not bad. Zhou Ning was quite pleased. While the skill wasn't as flexible as Dodge Shot, its damage output was likely even higher than Ripple Shot.
He still had some experience left. After a moment of thought, he decided to upgrade Ripple Breathing. According to his long-term plan, there was no need to rush any more combat skills. Ripple Breathing not only increased his strength and agility on command but also passively raised them through daily practice. In just the last few days, his agility had already permanently increased by 1 point, so it was definitely a worthwhile investment.
Once again, his experience points were completely spent. He decided to go all-in with his remaining 11 free attribute points, allocating 8 to Spirit and 3 to Willpower to shore up his resistance to status effects.
After the significant investment, Zhou Ning's character panel looked completely new, especially his Spirit, which had reached a level comparable to that of a dedicated mage.
Name: Zhou Ning / Wayne Stewell
Race: Human
Template: Elite NPC [Countdown to open beta: 42 days, 0 hours, 22 minutes]
Level: 14
Occupation: Student/Teaching Assistant [1/10]
Secondary Occupations: Linguist [3/10] / Alchemy Apprentice [10/10]
Affinities: Natural Force: 0, Arcane: 0
Talents: Tony Stark (Purple), Gun Fighting: Deadly Rhythm (Blue), Athletic Genius (Blue)
Personal Attributes:
Strength: 24
Agility: 27
Vitality: 19
Willpower: 25
Spirit: 40
Charm: 99 (All attributes except Charm +1 from Hall of Wonders bonus)
Vitals:
Health: 190/190
Stamina: 208/208
Willpower: 17/25
Mana: 0
Free Points: 0
Life Skills: Alchemy (Intermediate), Mysticism (Intermediate), Precision Machinery (Expert), Gambling (Intermediate)
General Skills: (Click to view)
Personal Expertise:
Dexterity (Basic): Your hands are extremely dexterous, allowing you to perform tasks that require delicate manipulation.
Encyclopedia: Your knowledge reserves far exceed most people's. Spirit +1.
Extreme Calmness: You can maintain a calm mind at all times. Learning speed increases by 10%.
Intermediate Endurance: Vitality growth coefficient +0.15, Willpower +2. The effects of hunger, thirst, cold, and other negative debuffs are slightly reduced.
Firearms Knowledge: You have a thorough understanding of the structure of firearms.
Extraordinary Physique (Elite): Your physique is different from that of ordinary people. Main attribute bonus per level-up increases by 0.35.
Clan Motto: None
Influence: 200
Legendary: 3
Combat Power Rating: 1295
[Explanation: Your combat prowess surpasses that of most mortals. You can even hold your own against professionals.]
Zhou Ning was speechless.
Wow, a positive review for once!
His combat power had soared from 399 to 1295. If he put on the Phoenix suit, he estimated it would exceed 5,000. He was a real powerhouse now.
Wanting to test the effect of his Conqueror's Haki, Zhou Ning shifted his gaze from Sherlock to XB.
XB was buzzing with excitement, eagerly awaiting the start of the next plot point, when he suddenly felt a chilling gaze sweep over him. He looked up and saw Zhou Ning giving him a strange smile.
"What is it, boss?" XB asked cautiously, unaware that he had just narrowly escaped the fate of a guinea pig.
"Nothing," Zhou Ning said with a placid smile.
The carriage had stopped near Witsel Church Square. It was a place for welcoming state guests, holding celebrations, and for public prayer, so carriages were not allowed to enter.
As Sherlock lifted the curtain to exit the carriage, Zhou Ning was suddenly hit by a powerful intuition—an almost certain feeling that Sherlock was about to fall.
He watched as Sherlock landed lightly on the ground and turned to him. "Let's go. They should be in the square."
Then, perhaps moving too quickly in his eagerness, Sherlock's foot caught on a protruding cobblestone, and he stumbled and fell to the ground.
It works, Zhou Ning thought, inwardly pleased as he reached out a hand to help him up.
His Observation Haki was even stronger than he'd imagined. Even at the basic level, he could rely on intuition to predict a target's next move. While that intuition might be fleeting in real combat and difficult to act on every time, grasping it just once could determine the outcome of a battle.
After crossing the bridge, they could see Witsel Church Square just ahead. The national anthem of the Kingdom of Braxton, "Matilda," was playing to welcome the state guests. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
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