Chapter 155-156: The Mad Clown
That Rampaging Tiger card's is probably Lu Bu from the Three Kingdoms… Honestly, it's not bad at all. If I ever run into a map with an ancient Chinese setting, using that template might actually work wonders.
The second card featured Zhou Ning in a white suit, with a white high-crowned top hat and a monocle, a faint smile on his lips.
His personality traits: elegant, humorous, picky, kleptomaniac.
Talents: Master of Disguise (Purple), Genius Thief (Purple), Master Magician (Purple).
Skills: Disguise (Master-level), Theft (Expert-level), Magic Tricks (Advanced), Lockpicking (Advanced), Appraisal (Advanced), Firearms Proficiency (Intermediate).
Price: 60 Traverse Coins. Title: Phantom Thief Zhou Ning.
A budget version of Batman, but the low price made up for it. Without hesitation, Zhou Ning bought it.
The third card depicted himself wearing a black hood, completely shrouded in darkness, with only a glimpse of white hair visible.
Personality traits: gloomy, evil, highly curious, and a strong thirst for knowledge.
Talents: Legendary Alchemy Master (Gold), Encyclopedic Memory (Purple), Metal Element Manipulation (Gold), Linguistic Mastery (Purple), Legendary Lifespan (Purple).
Skills: Alchemy (Grandmaster-level), Occult Studies (Master-level), Philosopher's Stone Creation (Unranked).
The price was a staggering 2100 Traverse Coins—almost as much as the 2500-coin One Punch Man… Title: Homunculus Zhou Ning.
Not that great, honestly—not for the price, at least. Zhou Ning decided to ignore it.
With the purchase of the previous two templates, his collection now totaled five, though he hadn't managed to form any matching pairs yet.
As per usual, Zhou Ning chose to enter the options menu to check out the new choices. If they were no good, he could always fall back on Rampaging Tiger or the Mad Clown.
Since he failed to pass the ten options last time, he simply refreshed them.
[You've selected Traverse Mode One.]
[Please select three out of the ten talents below as your matching conditions.]
[1. Zidane (Purple): You've got football skills as badass as Zidane's. The catch? Your hairline looks just like his at 35.]
[2. Interracial Romance (White): You're a natural furry. Even back in World of Warcraft, you had a thing for Taurens.]
[3. Gambling Addict (Green): When your opponent has exactly 17 cards left, you somehow always get wiped out.]
[4. Provocateur (White): You love stirring up trouble, and trouble just loves finding you.]
[5. Playboy (Blue): You're lethally attractive to females—or anything with a female gender.]
[6. Rock Star (Purple): You were born extraordinary. You sing your heart out and captivate the world as a rock legend.]
[7. Life Begins at Forty (Green): You become smarter after the age of 40.]
[8. Honest and Reliable (Green): You never tell a lie. Ever.]
[9. Super Gambler (Purple): You have extraordinary talent and intuition when it comes to gambling. When you go all-in, your luck gets a massive boost.]
[10. Inherently Evil (Green): Every now and then, you just get the urge to do something bad.]
[Please make your choice!]
Rage. Despair. Cold sweat.
How the hell was he supposed to choose from this crap?
Zhou Ning was completely dumbfounded by these options—practically all of them were trash talents. The only remotely decent one, Super Gambler, was totally useless in combat.
Without giving it a second thought, Zhou Ning hit "Return," hesitated a moment in the permanent templates menu, then ultimately chose Mad Clown and began his traverse.
[Match successful. In this parallel world, you are a mad clown walking through the dark underworld. You have no regard for law or order. You revel in danger, explosions, and death. Your soul is a swirling chaos of fear and madness. In your eyes, justice is a lie, and all things beautiful are illusions. You want others to resist you—hell, you want the whole world to rebel—just so you can destroy it all. What kind of change will someone like you bring to this world? Let's find out.]
[Current world exploration progress: 63.6%. When it reaches 66.7%, the next map will be unlocked.]
[Note: If you die during this Rewind, the game ends.]
[Note: When using a template to traverse, you may freely choose the time and location of entry.]
[Note: In Rewind Mode, template characters possess strong self-agency. Mad Clown Zhou Ning's alignment is Chaotic Evil, and you have no control over his actions.]
[Mad Clown Zhou Ning is selecting a time and place to enter.]
[Random selection complete: Year 12 after the Dark Portal, Stormwind City.]
[You have arrived in Stormwind City, Year 12 after the Dark Portal. From this moment on, the wheel of history begins to turn.]
[February 9, Year 12 — You stand alone on the streets of Stormwind, your thoughts in turmoil. Your last memory was of being surrounded by an army of Iron Men—led by another version of yourself. Then suddenly, you realized you were still alive… and had crossed over again. Looking around, you found yourself in the heart of Stormwind City, surrounded by crowds in medieval clothing.]
[The problem? You have no money, no weapons, not even clothes suited for this world. But for you, that's hardly an obstacle. In a nearby alley, you intercepted a middle-aged man in a purple mage robe—not for any special reason, just because his outfit looked cool. But things went sideways fast. You lost the fight. He even chased you down an entire street! Panting as you finally escaped, you couldn't help but laugh. "Nice one, fate!" you cheered gleefully. If even random passersby are that strong, then trying to plunge this world into chaos is going to be a hell of a lot more fun.]
[You weren't discouraged—there's nothing in this world that could discourage you. Half an hour later, you ambushed the guy again. This time, you used some hastily mixed sneeze powder to catch him off guard. While he was sneezing uncontrollably, you knocked him out with a stick you picked up off the street, stripped him of his robe, and looted everything on him. From him, you got some magic powder, a bit of money, and a wand. You waved the wand and shouted: "Avada Kedavra!" Shit. Nothing happened. (You obtained rare item: Star-Moon Wand.)]
[February 10, Year 12 — The total money you found on the mage was just 30 gold coins. Your material needs aren't high, but being new in town, you figured it was time to get some real cash. After scouting the area, you discovered a bank in Stormwind's Trade District currently under reconstruction—security was low. Maybe you could cook up a plan.]
[You used the stolen gold to buy some engineering materials and easily crafted a tripwire bomb. You also used your charisma to recruit a few thugs. One was a fairly skilled rogue named Bazil Thredd; the other was a disgraced noble named Randolph Moloch. Both had decent skills.]
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)