Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 105 - 100: The Frustrated Li Hongyun

Chapter 105: Chapter 100: The Frustrated Li Hongyun

a.m.

Chu Ge awakened on time.

As usual, he prepared to get out of bed to wash up and have breakfast, only to find that Li Hongyun was still lying in bed, listlessly scrolling through his phone with a vacant look in his eyes.

"Huh? What’s wrong with you?"

Chu Ge was somewhat puzzled, because ever since Li Hongyun had successfully entered "Dark Sand," their biological clocks had been synchronized.

Both would wake up sharply at 6 a.m., feeling refreshed.

So far, the instance "Eve of the Bandit Suppression" had been open for three days, and for these three days, the two had been getting up together, eating breakfast together, and discussing the content of the game together.

But today, Li Hongyun was still lying in bed, as if he had lost his soul.

Hearing Chu Ge’s question, he responded weakly, "There are already over six thousand players who’ve obtained the qualification...

"I feel like I might have blown it."

Chu Ge was somewhat surprised, "Haven’t you cleared the scholar instance today yet?"

Li Hongyun’s face was the picture of shame, with everything clearly written there without words.

Chu Ge almost laughed out loud, but considering his good friend’s feelings, he forcefully held it back, "No worries, let’s have breakfast first, and I’ll help you sort out exactly where the problem is."

This time, the two didn’t go to the cafeteria but walked outside the school and found a steamed bun shop.

Chu Ge could understand the tremendous pressure Li Hongyun was under.

This time, the distribution of beta testing qualification was different from before, with two thousand new beta testing qualifications being issued, plus those who had their qualifications reclaimed for not passing the trial before, there would be at most twenty-three to twenty-four thousand people in total.

However, there were a hundred thousand competing for qualifications.

Meaning, only the first twenty thousand plus of these hundred thousand who cleared the instance would be lucky enough to obtain the beta testing qualification and experience the official content of "Dark Sand."

By the end of the third day, over six thousand people had already obtained the qualification.

Although it may not seem like a large number, the situation was already quite tense.

Because the speed of clearing the instance would definitely accelerate noticeably!

Many players had already been striving for three days, and with clear strategies available, they were likely just one step away from clearing it.

It was foreseeable that tonight and tomorrow night, a large batch of players would clear the instance, and afterwards, the number of players who cleared each day would grow exponentially.

If one didn’t put in more effort now, one might truly not be able to clear it at all!

And judging by Li Hongyun’s state, it was clear that he was far from truly clearing the instance; he was nowhere near the state of being just "one step away," or else he would not be so anxious.

"So, what have you been doing these three days?"

Chu Ge was puzzled.

From his perspective, the scholar trial wasn’t that difficult, especially with a standard answer available.

Though acting skills and role immersion were required, three days should have been enough to clear it, even just by trying and failing repeatedly.

With some embarrassment, Li Hongyun admitted, "I... I just feel like I can’t really get into Yang Yan’s role at all.

"The same words, when they come out of my mouth, just feel so unconvincing, and I don’t know why..."

Clearly, he himself was somewhat baffled, why, as a fellow history student, was there such a big difference?

Chu Ge could figure out a path on his own, but Li Hongyun couldn’t even copy the answers properly.

It just went to show, you really can’t simply compare people.

Chu Ge also felt it was a bit tricky, indeed, it was a difficult problem to solve.

The key to the scholar instance was the player’s compatibility with the character Yang Yan. If the confidence was lacking all along, it would indeed be very difficult to outmaneuver those three cunning old foxes.

"Then... how about trying a different trial instance? Stop fixating on the scholar trial.

"The more you care about sunk costs, the more you’ll lose.

"Have you tried any of the other three instances?"

Li Hongyun nodded, "Yeah, I’ve tried them.

"In the assassin trial, I was too timid—I’d shake like a leaf onstage, and Emperor Yanling was too cautious to let me get close; in the Ranger trial, I was just too weak, I couldn’t beat the challenge.

"The foot soldier trial was relatively better. I could get through the first stage relying on archery and throwing spears, and with some effort, I might have hope for the second stage after another night, but I have no confidence at all in the third stage...

"Even in the most optimistic scenario, clearing the foot soldier trial would take two more nights, but by then, it’ll all be over..."

"I knew I shouldn’t have stubbornly stuck with the scholar trial from the first day. I should have considered the soldier’s!"

Li Hongyun felt like his whole being was in turmoil.

Obviously, the huge gap between him and Chu Ge made him doubt his life choices, especially since he used to be the one who played other games better thanks to his dumb luck.

Chu Ge fell silent for a moment, "Don’t rush, think again, is there anything you’ve overlooked?

"’Dark Sand,’ this game’s four trial instances, although difficult and having eliminated many players, generally speaking, as long as you find the right approach, you can quickly clear them.

"Wait, did you just say, there’s hope in overcoming the second stage of the soldier trial?

"You can beat the soldier trial, but you can’t beat the Ranger trial?"

Li Hongyun: "Yeah."

Chu Ge was still somewhat puzzled, "The combat difficulty of the first stage of the soldier trial is indeed lower than that of the Ranger, but if you want to clear the second stage, you must establish enough military achievements to become a Deputy General in the first stage. With your not-so-strong combat capability, how did you manage to achieve military merits?"

Li Hongyun explained, "By archery!

"I have the ’Skilled Bow and Horse’ talent, so in the first stage, I just shot arrows and threw spears, and I could become a Deputy General in the second stage too.

"People say archery is hard, but I didn’t think so, it was quite easy. Sometimes, I could even hit the target based on feeling alone.

"And even without a bow and arrow, my spear-throwing accuracy is quite high too."

As Chu Ge ate his bun, he sized up Li Hongyun and couldn’t help but see his roommate in a new light.

Physiques really can’t be generalized between people!

Although both were history students, when it came to clearing instances, the gap between them was enormous. To Chu Ge, archery was a skill completely out of his grasp, but he mastered the scholar with ease; whereas Li Hongyun was the complete opposite, struggling with the scholar but miraculously never missing a shot with a bow?

"Could it be... in addition to talent, there’s also an element of luck?"

Chu Ge couldn’t help but speculate.

Even for top players like Zhao Haiping, who had the ’Skilled Bow and Horse’ talent, it’d take some time to master archery to the point where every shot hit its mark. Yet, Li Hongyun found archery simple, and just by archery, he could easily become a Deputy General.

Top-tier talent was one aspect, but could it be that his guy’s strong luck factor was also in effect?

Chu Ge suddenly slapped the table lightly. "With this talent of yours, why bother with the soldier trial at all!

"I have a more suitable role to recommend for you."

Li Hongyun was a bit lost, "Apart from the soldier, there’s no other role that could use this skill."

Chu Ge said, "How could there be none? Would the assassin trial not do?

"You’ve said it yourself, your spear-throwing is also very accurate, so instead of fighting the three-stage soldier trial, why not try the assassin trial?

"So what if Emperor Yanling becomes suspicious of you and doesn’t let you get close? If you truly can throw a knife accurately in the palace hall and hit Emperor Yanling, causing him to die from the poison, wouldn’t that mean you’ve cleared the stage directly?"

Li Hongyun was stunned by Chu Ge’s words, "Ah? That would work?"

Chu Ge countered, "Why wouldn’t it? Although ’Dark Sand’ seems to have many restrictions and a standard solution, in reality, its freedom is quite high.

"It’s just that with a standard answer available, many players choose to copy it, and fewer are willing to explore on their own.

"Nie Rang, back in the day, killed Emperor Yanling by throwing a knife at the very last minute. You’re using Nie Rang’s body, and with the talent of a ’Restore to Order’ caster, it’s not impossible to achieve ’no arrow fired in vain.’"

Li Hongyun was still confused, "But my ideal role in my mind is a scholar! I’m too timid. When playing games, I always play a support role, how could I be an assassin? This..."

Chu Ge spread his hands, "Then there’s nothing I can do, it’s up to you to decide.

"Either keep risking not getting into the beta by sticking with the scholar instance or change your thinking and try the assassin instance.

"Just remember, if you don’t get into the beta this time, you might not even get a chance for the next selection because the selection opportunities will definitely prioritize players who haven’t been chosen before."

Li Hongyun had an epiphany, "You make a good point! Alright, I’ll go and watch some videos of the assassin trial to change my thinking and try the assassin instance tonight!

"After all, get any role first and secure a beta qualification."

Li Hongyun reignited his passion and pulled out his phone to start looking through tips and strategies for the assassin trial.

It was evident that this time he was truly serious. The elimination system of ’Dark Sand’ forced even someone with a somewhat lazy disposition like him to get involved.

Chu Ge was very pleased with this.

With his meal finished, he took out his phone and continued discussing the city construction plan for the Fortress of the Restorers with Li Weiyi and other players on the forum.

Currently, these expert players were busily planning for city construction. Although the terrain had already been decided, specifics such as where to build the walls, how tall and thick to make them, whether to erect towers, whether to construct secret passages, etc., needed continuous optimization.

However, since the city was ultimately based on the real historical Linyuan City as a template, the initial plans should be settled fairly soon.

The players were all eagerly looking forward to it.

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