Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 38 - 34 Ranger’s Trial: Upholding Justice on Heaven’s Behalf

Chapter 38: Chapter 34 Ranger’s Trial: Upholding Justice on Heaven’s Behalf

At this moment, Meng Yuan and Shen Shang were also paying attention to the players’ progress.

Since "Dark Sand" officially launched, it had been the fifth day.

And there were a little more than two days left until the first slice of history’s demon would enter the real world.

If by then the players hadn’t grown strong enough, the consequences would be unimaginable.

While munching on fried chicken, Shen Shang asked, "There’s less than three days left now.

"Are you sure the players will make another leap forward in such a short time?

"It feels kind of dicey to me."

Meng Yuan confidently said, "Of course, I believe in the players!

"Haven’t you noticed how their progress is accelerating?

"As of now, over seventy people have passed the Soldier Trial.

"Just wait until the videos for the Assassin and Scholar trials are released, the number of people clearing those instances will rapidly increase.

"Players are definitely a group that will never let you down."

Shen Shang continued to gnaw on her fried chicken, still somewhat skeptical.

However, based on the players’ performance these past few days, she had to admit that Meng Yuan really made a lot of sense.

In fact, Meng Yuan, as a bona fide Restorer, had considered whether to initiate Plan B.

Such as joining the fight himself.

Therefore, he tried tackling the four Restorer’s Trial instances during this time.

As for the result...

All he could say was, with the help of the players’ strategies, indeed he did better than before, but overall, he still contributed nothing.

So, Meng Yuan completely gave up the idea.

Players could clear with just a talent, but he, a legitimate Restorer, couldn’t pass, which was really hurtful!

But looking at it from another perspective, since things were already this way, there was no point in considering joining in personally. Better to calmly accept the fact that he was a noob, play the role of customer service and conniving planner well, and just honestly watch the players perform.

Fortunately, the players’ performance was indeed impressive, fully meeting and even exceeding Meng Yuan’s expectations.

A couple of days ago, the players were tormented by the Trial instances to the brink of despair, progressing slowly, making Shen Shang very doubtful of the feasibility of Meng Yuan’s plan.

But now, as the Soldier, Assassin, and Scholar Trials were successively conquered, more and more outstanding players began to emerge.

Players like Zhao Haiping, Chu Ge, and Du Gang, could even match the most outstanding Restorers of the past.

Moreover, as Meng Yuan said, once one player cleared a trial, more and more players would clear it after!

Tonight, many players were challenging the Soldier instance according to videos and strategies posted by Zhao Haiping, and over seventy players had already successfully passed, getting the title of Soldier.

And this number was still increasing rapidly.

Now the videos for clearing Assassin and Scholar Trials were out too, and once released, the number of players acquiring these titles would surely grow quickly.

The focus was now on the last trial, the Ranger Trial.

Meng Yuan and Shen Shang were both paying close attention to a player named Yun Ying.

Currently, he was the furthest along in the Ranger instance and, apparently, a martial artist in real life, so he adapted very quickly in the game.

However, Meng Yuan hadn’t noticed that, after Chu Ge cleared the Scholar instance, he entered the Ranger instance.

...

Inside the Ranger instance "Acting in the Name of Heaven".

After entering the Trial instance, Chu Ge found himself on the roof of a large estate.

Three cards appeared in front of him.

[Gui-Tai Ran Zi Wo (White): Your emotions remain calm, allowing you to face dangers with equanimity.]

[Gui-Boxing Mastery (Blue): Your level of boxing is correspondingly improved.]

[Ren-Righteous Aura (White): When acting bravely and righteously, you naturally radiate a righteous aura, inducing fear in evildoers.]

"This Serenity card is truly all-purpose, applicable for any class, but relying on it alone won’t get you through any trial.

"Guess it takes an all-around pro with balanced abilities to make use of this talent.

"Uhm, better choose a more straightforward talent."

After some thought, Chu Ge chose Boxing Mastery.

The reason was simple, based on the nature of this game, he believed that Righteous Aura surely had a significant limitation.

Similar to an imposing ability, it would undoubtedly be effective, but it required the player’s combat abilities to be up to par.

If a player’s own combat abilities were subpar, the talent would have minimal effect.

On the other hand, if a player’s combat abilities were fierce, the enhancement from Boxing Mastery would be less noticeable, and auxiliary, special talents like Righteous Aura or an imposing ability would see a significant boost.

Ranger knew he was a total noob when it came to combat, so acquiring the "Master of Boxing" talent should help him hold on for a while longer.

After selecting his talent skill, the scene within the Trial Illusion began to shift.

Looking ahead, Ranger saw a husky man, his body layered with muscles, practicing boxing in a large, deep courtyard.

Although the man looked heavy and cumbersome, each of his punches was incredibly powerful, and the whooshing of his fists through the air even made a breaking sound – clearly, he was not someone to be trifled with.

Xue Tianba, this was the boss Ranger had to bring down in the instance.

The Ranger instance didn’t beat around the bush; you would be directly placed in Xue Tianba’s residence from the start. As long as the player found a way to kill Xue Tianba by any means, the instance would be considered cleared.

As such, Ranger could not determine what specific event the instance portrayed because he searched but couldn’t find the name Xue Tianba anywhere.

He could only infer from the details of the architecture and attire that this had something to do with the Liang Dynasty, but the exact time and event remained a mystery.

Ranger had previously entered this instance to have a look, but as soon as he realized that the main task seemed to be to take down the tyrant, he withdrew without even attempting it.

Because this dude looked tough as nails!

However, now that he had cleared the Scholar’s Trial with the identity of a scholar as a backup, Ranger thought he might as well give this Ranger instance a shot. Who knew, maybe he would get lucky and clear it while exploring the game’s mechanics?

First, he gauged the basic physical condition of the body he inhabited.

Agile and full of strength, if he were to give a comprehensive assessment, he was even a bit better than the bodies provided in the foot-soldier instance.

After all, in terms of the setting, a foot soldier initially was just a minor soldier from the border army with not too great a physical condition, while a Ranger typically came from a wealthier family—after all, "scholars are poor, while warriors are rich," as the saying goes; without some family assets, one can hardly learn martial arts, let alone become a Ranger.

Nevertheless, Ranger was highly skeptical that even with this kind of physical condition, he’d still be no match for the tyrant before him.

While in the game’s design, the hero usually is tall and handsome, debonair, sporting a six-pack, and the villain tends to be fat with a bulky body, the actual combat doesn’t go down like that.

A heavyweight person inevitably has a significant advantage in a fight, and the hero would probably just get pounded on the ground by the husky man.

Considering the game "Dark Sand" operated on the principle of "playing for realism," the latter scenario was much more likely.

Ranger didn’t give it too much thought, anyway, since he was already here, he might as well give it a try.

With a leap, he jumped down from the rooftop into the courtyard.

Xue Tianba, who was practicing his boxing, saw Ranger and revealed a scornful smile, waving his thick arm at him and then adopting a starting stance.

Ranger was taken aback.

What an arrogant boss!

Logically speaking, when a tyrant is practicing boxing in his own house and suddenly sees someone who looks like a hero jump down from the roof, he should be at least a little nervous, right? Or maybe call for help promptly?

But instead, Xue Tianba looked at Ranger as if he was just a delivery, like he had found a new toy.

Ranger wasn’t having it.

No, he simply had to spar with him today!

Could he really swallow the insult after just obtaining the "Master of Boxing" talent?

In real life, Ranger would probably run away at the first sight of such a person or immediately call the police, but the game was a different story.

Ranger tried throwing a punch.

As the punch flew, a thrill of excitement surged inside him.

It seemed, was he actually pretty strong?

He had also briefly experienced the foot-soldier instance and the assassin instance before, and all three characters had combat capabilities but with different focal points.

The foot soldier’s mainly mastered combative techniques suitable for army combat, straightforward, efficient, and practical, whereas the assassin’s techniques prioritized short-range confrontation with decisive lethal strikes.

The combat abilities of a Ranger were much more well-rounded, akin to the martial arts heroes described in wuxia novels—with each move and style following a set pattern—and if one were to solely consider the comprehensive capacity of direct combat, Rangers would be the strongest.

Of course, if we’re talking about actual history, although Nie Rang was honored as the premier swordsman and a renowned assassin of historical note, strictly speaking, he was also a Ranger in his youth.

The identities of Rangers and assassins in the states of Yan and Chu, as well as earlier times, were often quite blurred. Those who chose the path of a Ranger often also served as retained guests, engaging in chivalrous deeds while not shying away from the occasional assassin’s work.

So, when it comes down to sheer strength, among these identities, Nie Rang was certainly the strongest.

However, as far as player combat performance was concerned, the Ranger instance stood out as the highest.

Ranger suspected that this might be a gameplay balancing act by "Dark Sand," with the assassin instance not fully representing Nie Rang’s capabilities, but focusing solely on his skills as an assassin.

Of course, this was just a personal guess—he hadn’t personally known Nie Rang from history.

Regardless, the player-controlled body in the Ranger instance was undoubtedly the strongest and most versatile in combat among the four instances; that was indisputable.

As a result, Ranger had somewhat overestimated his own combat prowess unrealistic high.

Ranger also took up a starting stance.

After acquiring the "Master of Boxing" talent, he felt various muscle memories of moves rapidly activating in his brain, and for a moment, he truly felt like a master martial artist.

But the moment he assumed his stance, Xue Tianba, massive like a small hill, was already charging towards him like lightning, a heavy punch, powerful and forceful, aiming straight for his head!

With a muffled "thud," Ranger only felt darkness before his eyes, and then, like a kite with a snapped string, his body was flung away.

After landing with a thud on the ground, he tumbled several times due to inertia and finally crashed headfirst into the wall of the courtyard.

Damn it!