Chapter 68: Leaderboard

6 AM.

As Dark Sands' servers went down, Chu Ge awoke in his dorm bed. His roommate's alarm went off as well, and after switching it off, he yawned and asked, "So, did you beat the instance last night?"

Chu Ge stretched, feeling refreshed. "Yep, cleared it! And I think it wasn't just me; Zhao Haiping and the others probably cleared it too. Actually, during the day, everyone on the forum already figured out all the clues and had mostly worked out the solution. Last night was just about confirming our theories. Even a literary player like me managed to clear it, so top players in other classes should have no trouble."

His roommate sighed enviously. "Man, I'm so jealous of you. Playing games all night and waking up fresh as a daisy in the morning. If I were the game developer, I'd charge by the hour! Put all the sleep aid companies, ASMR creators, and insomnia therapists out of business. Ugh, when will I finally get a beta slot? I want to play so badly!"

With a grumble, his roommate got up to wash up.

The dormitory conditions at Tiandu University were some of the best in the country. Graduate students had two-person rooms, and the facilities were excellent.

Chu Ge's roommate, Li Hongyun, was also a history student and a seasoned mobile game player. Despite not being wealthy, he was blessed with incredible luck.

As a history grad student, Li Hongyun had a carefree life, studying and gaming with no financial worries. When he had money, he'd spend a bit on his "2D waifus" in mobile games. Thanks to his "lucky draw" skill, he enjoyed a stellar gaming experience.

But Dark Sands changed everything.

Chu Ge managed to get a beta slot, while Li, the self-proclaimed lucky king, did not! Not on the first round, nor on the second!

For Li Hongyun, this was unacceptable. What made it worse was that Chu Ge would play Dark Sands every night, yet still wake up at 6 AM sharp, full of energy, without losing any productivity. He managed to balance research, gaming, and studies perfectly.

This left Li Hongyun feeling utterly defeated.

He tried setting his alarm for 6 AM, but it wasn't sustainable. Chu Ge had access to game tech that kept him refreshed, whereas Li didn't. It was like challenging a rich kid's pocket money with his own savings—a battle he couldn't win.

As if that wasn't enough, Chu Ge had quickly risen to prominence in Dark Sands. He regularly appeared on the leaderboards, and any guide he posted was eagerly followed by other players. Li Hongyun could only hope he'd get a beta slot in the game's third wave.

…

After washing up, Chu Ge's first order of business was to check Dark Sands' official website to write down some strategy tips and see what other players were saying.

To his surprise, the website had been updated with a new section!

A timeline had been added, tracking the historical phases the game covered. Currently, only the late Sheng Dynasty era and the "Trials of Last Rights" instance were unlocked, each with its own sub-page.

Within the "Trials of Last Rights" section, there were related videos, highlighted posts, and, most prominently, a leaderboard and a countdown timer!

The leaderboard showed player IDs, professions, and clearance scores, with a countdown of three days.

"A leaderboard, already? This company is as efficient as ever. They must've prepared this in advance, just waiting for players to clear the instance."

Chu Ge clicked on the leaderboard and found himself listed—sort of.

He appeared on the board, but with no rank, and he shared the bottom with players like Zhao Haiping. The top fifty spots remained empty.

"What's this about?" Chu Ge clicked the explanation tab, and the answer became clear.

"Only players with a score of 'B-Upper' or higher can rank on the board, and so far, no one's reached that. The highest scores so far are only 'C-Lower' and 'D-Upper'?"

It was both a selective and a passing exam.

To qualify for the ultimate trial, players had to meet specific scores and rankings—not just be among the top performers.

"So there's actually still a lot of room for improvement in this instance? Makes sense. Most top players managed to clear it, but we all had some hiccups along the way—far from perfect. And there's still the merchant role, which we didn't find much use for. This means there's more to explore here, like speedrunning a single-player game. Can't relax just yet; I'd better keep up the pace and see what others are saying."

Chu Ge opened the forums to check the latest posts.

"Those pros are seriously insane! I followed their tips last night and actually cleared it! Can't compare to the pros, but just seeing my name on the board is enough!"

"Damn, I was so close to clearing it! Thought I had another chance today, but woke up to see so many people already cleared it. This is intense!"

"Anyone want to discuss the instance story? Looking back after clearing it, the story wasn't actually that complicated. It's all about uniting the townspeople to fight the stronger bandits. But at the start, finding the traitor, identifying the altered characters, and figuring out the solution was so misleading. Even with everyone sharing tips, it took over two days. Imagine how long it'd take solo!"

"What struck me the most is how hard history really was! They only had one night. If anything went wrong, the whole plan would fail. We'd be left with a very different story in the records."

"I was genuinely surprised that Yang Xinyan ended up being the key figure. The instance name, 'Trials of Last Rights,' really foreshadowed it."

"These characters, though their screen time was short, left a strong impression!"

"Isn't the game being a bit harsh on scholars, though? The traitor scholar, the cowardly Wang Jinghui—both were poets, but they were the biggest disappointments. Meanwhile, two actors were the ones who held true to the greater cause."

"Well, Lord Tang might disagree with you. He was a scholar too, though he fought with a sword, so it's easy to forget!"

"Oh, right! I totally forgot he was a scholar…"

"That's why the instance is called 'Trials of Last Rights.' Being a hero doesn't depend on your status, title, or words. It's about making the right choice when it matters. And even if you become a hero, it doesn't mean you'll be remembered. In this instance, only Lord Tang's name remains. Gao Ze, Su Xianjun, and Yang Xinyan all sacrificed so much, yet history doesn't remember them."

"This story would make a great movie, wouldn't it? Didn't the official beta test recruitment say it could fulfill dreams of being a movie star?"

"That's probably referring to the ultimate trial. The 100% pain realism test they mentioned. Just the thought of it is terrifying!"

"Why should it matter? If you're ranked in the top five, you're probably clearing it without taking a scratch! Time to dig up some materials and study speedruns tonight!"