Players are coming, fortunately I have a time travel simulator

Regarding such cheap maps, Zhou Ning could only say that the more the better.

Looking at the template column again, the previously purchased "Spider Sense - Zhou Ning" template, though he hadn't had time to use it, already gave him some additional benefits. It came with the Spider-Man title, and equipping it slightly increased his neural reaction speed. Although he wasn't sure exactly how much this "slightly" meant, Zhou Ning used it to replace the Phantom Thief title. It was unavoidable; men always grew fond of the new and tired of the old.

Zhou Ning's senses sharpened. He could hear the sound of raindrops outside and the hiss of gas burning in the stove. With a sudden thought, he slapped the table. The plate of pastries on the table bounced up with a thud, sending all the pastries flying high into the air. Then, Zhou Ning grabbed the plate and caught all the pastries accurately.

The bonus from this title seemed quite significant. Zhou Ning smiled slightly and placed the plate back on the table.

After testing, both his reaction and perception abilities have been enhanced. Isn't he worthy of being Spider-Man?

Zhou Ning then looked at the experience requirements. To upgrade the elite black magic to the master level and equip the Sword of Cortes, it would take about 97 experience points. Although it was expensive, it was still affordable for now.

Without saying anything, Zhou Ning upgraded his elite black magic to the master level.

[Your elite black magic has reached the master level, and you have mastered the skill [Faint Vision]]

[Your elite black magic has reached the master level, and you have mastered the skill [Weather Change]]

[You gain the feat [Streamlined Spellcasting]]

Upgrading Elite Black Magic to Master Level unlocks two new skills and a new expertise. Among them, Streamlined Spellcasting is a rare expertise for wizards, but it is not very useful to me.

[Weak Clairvoyance (Elementary): A general skill. After using it, it can deprive the opponent of their vision, reducing their vision range by 80%. The duration is 20 seconds.]

[Weather Change (Basic): A general skill that uses self-mixed powder to affect the weather to a certain extent. This skill has a lower priority.]

[Streamlined spellcasting: When casting magic, you can omit some syllables of the spell, making the casting more efficient.]

Although upgrading elite black magic consumes a lot of experience, the gains are still good. Zhou Ning finally got the Sword of Cortez equipped as he wished. Now, including the Sword of Triton that can control the ship and the Frostmourne that is hidden in the inventory and gathering dust, Zhou Ning only regrets that he did not learn the three-sword style in the world of One Piece.

……

The next day, the first thing Zhou Ning did was to get up and start business as usual. Although he now had a large gap in experience and money, considering the tight time, Zhou Ning would only stay here for the last morning.

Compared to last night's hasty opening, today Zhou Ning truly witnessed the passion of the players in West County. Not only were the players here wealthy and experienced, but they were also quite generous—no, rather, generous. A significant number of players came to change jobs and learn skills. It wasn't long before they surrounded Zhou Ning, leaving him feeling both pained and delighted.

Zhou Ning simply set up a vending machine, constantly responding to fans' requests for handshakes and photos, while also keeping an eye on the forums and guild channels.

Zhou Ning hadn't logged into the forum since returning from Austin Manor. This time, he found that with the release of the fourth batch of "Apocalypse" game helmets and the popularity of the TV series of the same name with himself as the protagonist, the popularity of the "Apocalypse" game has soared.

Just looking at the number of fans in his own eponymous section is enough to tell the difference: close to 110 million...

Clicking inside, you can see all kinds of fan fiction, comics, novels, and many screenshots related to yourself, many of which Zhou Ning himself can't even remember when they happened.

One hundred and ten million... Zhou Ning vaguely remembered that the highest number of online players in Apocalypse in his previous life was only 9000 million, and currently there were probably less than 900 million players in the game, which means that basically all the people paying attention to him were cloud players.

Zhou Ning could only sigh at this - reality is too magical.

The creation of movies and literary works must at least follow logic, but reality does not require this. Reality... is not logical at all.

"Wait, the second issue of 'Apocalypse Predictions' is out?"

Zhou Ning was cheered up. It had been exactly two weeks since the first episode was broadcast. Zhou Ning had thought that his butterfly effect had destroyed the show, but when he saw the update, he hurriedly clicked on it.

The screen still showed the friendly chubby male host and several professional players as guests. This episode of the professional player "Apocalypse Forecast" must have cost a lot of money. Jinse, who still ranked first in the previous level ranking, became a regular guest. In addition, not only did they invite Shuidi Chenxing, a real rich young man and the owner of the Xingyue Club, but even Yanran Weilu, one of the top three players in the Chinese gaming industry, was invited to the scene. In addition, Zhou Ning saw that XB, a teammate of Jinse and Shuidi Chenxing's regular team and the player ranked fifth on the level ranking, was also participating in this program.

At the beginning, it was still quite childish to draw and guess to liven up the atmosphere. Jinse was very embarrassed to be at the bottom of the list, and did not guess any of them correctly. The barrage was full of complaints. After a few minutes, the program entered the main topic.

The second issue of "Apocalypse Forecast" has a total content of about one hour. Like the previous issue, the first 1 minutes are still a quick review of the overall situation of the players in the entire Apocalypse world.

"Four batches of optical brain gaming helmets have been sold so far, reaching a total of 900 million users. After more than a month of gameplay, the vast majority of players have already changed classes, with the average level reaching 1. After reaching level 18, players will experience their first class advancement. It's unclear whether this advancement will have an impact on class strengths. For example, will the Warrior change their fate as a sewer class with low output and poor mobility? Can the Knight and the Roaming Gunner continue to perform well?"

"You can clearly see that the top 100 players are basically all professional players. Mages make up the largest group, with 37 players, followed by Rangers, with 25 players. This also proves that in the early stages of the game, ranged classes are well-suited to taking on quests and leveling up."

"Currently, the least popular professions are Knights and Shamans. Both require a certain level of skill and luck. With over 900 million players, there are less than 1 Knights combined, making them a truly rare profession. Shamans are even more exclusive to Walruses."

In terms of professional strength, the strongest profession currently recognized by all professional players, including Yanran Weile, is still the Roaming Gunner. Yanran Weile said: The Roaming Gunner not only has super strong output, but also has flexible displacement capabilities. It should be a favorite in the upcoming professional competitions.

In the level ranking list, Jinse is still far ahead with a level of 23. The second place was replaced by August, a professional player from the American Gun Club. Shuidi Shenxing, who possesses a devil fruit, ranked third.

In terms of NPC popularity, Zhou Ning still leads the pack, ranking first with a significant advantage. Second is Chrissie Brendan Reiser, whose performance in the sixth episode was quite impressive, and her figure was a big factor in the success. Third is the original protagonist, Leandro, who made the list thanks to his eye-catching flaming sword and impressive power.

"Speaking of Wayne Stewell, he's been a central figure throughout the game since its inception. In the past two weeks, he's made many new moves. He's the only NPC to have extensive interactions with players, frequently appearing in the Novice Village to offer guidance and benefits. In terms of power rankings, he's also surpassed Stuart Crow, the Archpatriarch of the Ascetic Church, for the first time, taking first place. Here are his five most famous scenes."