For players, three days can feel like an eternity or a moment.
It feels short because Dark Sands is a game that completely absorbs your time. Players remain in a deep sleep state, allowing them to focus solely on their gaming objectives. Plus, the complexity of this instance, with all its layers and unknowns to explore, makes time pass in the blink of an eye. On the other hand, three days can feel long since players can make significant progress in the instance within that time.
While Meng Yuan continued his attempts to clear the trial instance, he kept a close eye on player discussions. The official forum now boasted a variety of guides focused on "speedruns" and "high scores."
"Optimization for the First Battle: Quick Acquisition of the Sacred Yi Blade, Optimal Enemy-Kill Route, and Safest Escape Strategy!" This guide primarily helps players plan their route in the battle with Lord Tang, targeting roles like laborers and early-game fighters such as Gao Ze. The post includes tips on where to grab the blade from the easiest bandit, strategies to weaken the enemy with minimum health loss, and the best moments to retreat.
"Identity Choice Analysis: How to Decide Between Ordinary and Special Identities Based on Your Playstyle!" This guide compares different identity paths. Players discovered that special characters like Su Xianjun, Yang Xinyan, and Gao Ze weren't necessarily superior to regular roles. Special identities cost more identity points, and while they have better stats and play pivotal roles in the plot, certain playstyles benefit more from regular roles, where support for special characters can yield greater impact.
"Three-Minute Shadow Guard Kill Guide for the Skill-Challenged!" This guide focuses on helping players who struggle to kill the shadow guard. By covering talent choices, ambush spots, and support options, it enables players less adept at combat to handle the guard and ensure smooth progression. Some players excel more in role-playing or rallying the militia rather than in combat.
Besides these, there were countless other guides covering every aspect of the instance. Players had practically dissected the trial environment from top to bottom. Had this game allowed for exploits or glitch runs, Meng Yuan wouldn't have been surprised if players discovered a "start by jumping on the theater rooftop to kill the shadow guard and burn the theater" tactic that would make one's head spin.
After three days of relentless efforts, players who initially scored only "D-Lower" ratings managed to consistently achieve "C-Upper" or even "B-Lower" with optimized routes. The top players on the leaderboard had even pushed their scores to "A-Lower"!
As for the highest "A-Upper" score, no one had managed to reach it yet.
But that wasn't really the players' fault; the "A-Upper" rating was originally calibrated for Sequencers with three talents. With three talents, Sequencers could cover more ground in the instance, and their abilities could complement each other, making it possible to hit an "A-Upper" score. Given that players could only use one talent and still achieved "A-Lower," Meng Yuan was pleasantly surprised.
The players' intense competitiveness did create pressure for Meng Yuan, though. Even with three talents, he had a tough time keeping pace with the top players, barely scraping an "A-Lower" score by role-playing as Su Xianjun.
Meanwhile, Meng Yuan enabled the 100% pain experience mode for players who made it to the leaderboard. The idea was to let them adjust to the change in pain perception early, so they wouldn't struggle or lose effectiveness in the real historical slice. So far, the top players, who often aimed for no-damage runs, adapted quickly. But whether they'd perform as well in the real historical slice remained to be seen.
With everything ready, Meng Yuan posted an announcement on the official website and notified the chosen players individually. The final test would begin at 10 p.m. tonight!
…
"Whoa, Chu Ge, you got chosen!"
Li Hongyun looked at the "Final Trial List" on the Dark Sands website, feeling a mix of envy, jealousy, and awe. While this ultimate trial involved 100% pain sensitivity, only five out of all beta players were selected! Hardcore players would rather endure any amount of pain to try it out.
Chu Ge glanced at the list. "As expected, the selection seems fair."
True to form, the selection was based on the leaderboard. The chosen players were familiar faces, representing the best of each profession, so there was little contention among players. Zhao Haiping, Huo Yunying, Xia Ruoling, and Chu Ge made it as representatives of each profession and ranked as the top four players, a result that had been widely anticipated.
As for the fifth slot, though it went to the fifth-ranked player, the name didn't ring any bells. It was a player named Meng Yuan, a Ranger who had never posted any guides or shared strategies online, so few players recognized him.
Only a few players who had attended that offline event near Tiandu knew he was the same guy they'd dubbed "not very skilled, but admirably brave." Apparently, he'd shown impressive progress!
With the team set, other players offered their best wishes, hoping the chosen ones could pass the ultimate trial smoothly. After all, the outcome of this trial would determine if the game could roll out the "Sequencer Expedition" mode.
…
10 p.m.
Xia Ruoling entered the Sequencer's Space on time. Unlike usual, this time, there were four other figures in the space!
She recognized Zhao Haiping, Chu Ge, and Huo Yunying from videos, though she'd never met them in person. But she hadn't seen the fifth player, Meng Yuan, before.
After brief introductions and polite "nice to meet you's," they quickly became comfortable with each other. They were all players, so there was a natural camaraderie.
As for Meng Yuan, he was more than familiar with them after watching them clear the instance, but he kept a low profile, leaving the spotlight to the players. He reminded himself that he was just the game operator.
As for this place, it was indeed the true Sequencer's Space. Only here could they open the path to the historical slice.
"So, what are we supposed to do next?" Zhao Haiping asked.
The group looked around, not seeing any new portal. The previous instance portal for "When All Is Settled, We Close the Coffin" was now vacant.
Chu Ge thought for a moment. "Looks like the ultimate trial hasn't been fully activated yet. That's actually good. We can use this time to review our strategy and assign tasks. Although it's a co-op instance, the officials said the ultimate trial would be significantly harder, and the plot might deviate from the normal instance. We should plan ahead."
As a player accustomed to planning before acting, Chu Ge believed in double-checking their strategy before facing a one-shot, 100% pain challenge. Otherwise, going in without coordination would be chaotic.
The others agreed. None of them had issues with Chu Ge taking the lead.
Chu Ge had already shared a multi-player strategy with them, organizing the detailed steps of the current guide and outlining various task lines. However, the specific task assignments hadn't been finalized. Since the player list wasn't certain until now, he'd held off on designating roles.