The joy of completing the trial came so suddenly that Du Gang hadn't even prepared himself mentally. Now, looking at the summary screen, he felt an overwhelming fatigue, but also an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and happiness. This achievement was as rewarding as successfully completing an important special task.
Unlike Zhao Haiping, Du Gang didn't hesitate before choosing the Assassin identity. The reason was simple: he felt this role suited him best. He had tried the other roles—warrior, scholar, and wanderer—but ultimately felt the Assassin was the most compatible with his skills and offered the lowest level of difficulty.
And after watching Zhao Haiping's recorded playthrough of the warrior trial, Du Gang was convinced he'd never manage to complete it.
As he selected the Assassin role, an unusual feeling washed over him. It was similar to the sensation he felt when acquiring a new skill, but this time, it felt permanent—a constant presence.
The Assassin's unique skill was "Wrath of the Commoner." The full saying goes, "A commoner's wrath spills blood within five steps; the world wears mourning today." This historical phrase originated from the legend of assassinating a tyrant.
The skill's effect was clear: after meticulous planning and at the perfect moment, it allowed for an extremely lethal strike, ignoring all pain and distractions until the attack concluded.
This skill was evidently tailor-made for assassins. However, there was a prerequisite: the strike had to be carefully planned and well-timed; a random charge would not work. But once the ideal opportunity was found, it would enable a deadly blow, swift and powerful.
Of course, this skill wasn't guaranteed to hit or kill. The ability to ignore pain and distractions didn't mean immunity to harm. The move could cause substantial damage to the enemy, but Du Gang might also perish in the attempt.
Regardless, it was undeniably a powerful skill. If he'd had this ability earlier, he probably wouldn't have needed a golden skill to succeed.
As the excitement of his victory faded, Du Gang checked for any changes in the trial scenario. He noticed he had an option to replay the level or review his previous successful playthrough.
"Like a replay function? Let's take a look."
He selected the option to view his last successful run. He expected only a third-person perspective of his triumph but found an unexpected discovery.
There was nothing unusual at first until Du Gang, as Nie Rang, mentioned the slight flaw in the black jade qilin, asking to point it out to Emperor Yanling. Above his head, a small text appeared: "Lucky Strike Activated!"
When he slipped while approaching the Emperor, the same text appeared again: "Lucky Strike Activated!"
Finally, when his dagger struck the Emperor's calf, the text appeared a third time.
Du Gang was stunned. "This 'Lucky Strike' triggered… three times?"
"The first activation seemed to mislead the Emperor, making his suspicious nature overlook the detail.
"The second activation caused me to trip, which, in turn, made the Emperor anxious about the qilin's condition and created my opening.
"The third activation helped me successfully stab his calf?
"No, I already had him in my grasp, so the strike was guaranteed to hit. Then why did it trigger?
"Could it be… that even the poison's lethality involved some element of chance?"
The realization dawned on him—this level-nine golden skill had proven invaluable. Each activation was crucial, and without it, his victory might not have been assured. It could have been a close call, just a step away from failure.
Of course, he wouldn't call the skill overpowered. It worked because he'd prepared meticulously; it merely ensured his final strike would be more reliable. In other words, his thorough preparations paid off but weren't flawless—there was room for improvement.
"It seems my success relied heavily on luck.
"Had I not drawn the golden skill, or if it hadn't triggered those three times, it would've been nearly impossible to win.
"I still have much to learn.
"And judging by this, Nie Rang's historic assassination attempt might not have been the optimal strategy. He missed his first strike and only succeeded with a last-minute throw, whereas I managed to grab the Emperor's leg after my first failed strike. Technically, I performed slightly better than Nie Rang.
"Of course, that's not to say I'm superior to Nie Rang. He had only one chance, while I could repeatedly attempt the best approach based on his legacy. My swordsmanship might be inferior, but I had access to powerful 'Orderly' skills.
"This game runs deeper than I initially imagined!
"Thankfully, from what I've seen, the developers don't seem to have any malicious intent. If anything, they appear to be deeply passionate.
"That's a good sign.
"Still, it's too soon to jump to conclusions; I'll need to observe further."
After personally completing a trial, Du Gang gained a deeper understanding of the game's content. From both the Assassin and Warrior trials, it was evident that "Dark Sands" was designed to celebrate the historic heroes whose stories deserved to be told. While players endured hardships, they gained a richer understanding of history, acquiring a greater appreciation of those who had come before.
It seemed to have a certain educational value.
In that sense, the game could be considered a positive influence. Its potential harm rating could be cautiously downgraded.
However, this was only preliminary. More observation was required.
A prompt appeared in the game, asking if he wanted to publish his playthrough. Du Gang thought for a moment and agreed, though he declined the "Master Player" title and chose not to reveal his identity, allowing only the video to be released.
Given his position, it was best to remain as discreet as possible.
...
Meanwhile, in the Scholar's trial, "Petitioning for the People," Chu Ge was making a final push for victory. After another failed attempt, he found himself back at the trial's starting point. Yet he could feel that he was only one step away from success.
The Scholar trial was more complex and challenging than he'd initially anticipated, and he had received minimal outside assistance.
But that was fine; Chu Ge was confident in his expertise in this field.
After calming his emotions, he looked at the three available skills in front of him:
[Grade Nine: Calm and Composed (White) – Enhances emotional stability, allowing you to remain more unshaken in the face of danger.]
[Grade Nine: Passionate Oratory (Blue) – Your words become more persuasive and compelling.]
[Grade Eight: Iron Will (White) – Greatly enhances your tolerance for pain.]