Chapter 25

A Daoist Priest pointed at the leaderboard and asked: "If I remember correctly, 'Moonlight Sanatorium' is the dungeon ranked fourth in difficulty and suddenly rose to first in popularity yesterday, right?"

Someone beside him replied: "Yes, a death dungeon with 0% survival rate. The Administration sealed it a week ago, and four Breakers sent in succession all failed."

"I heard a newbie accidentally stumbled into it through the trial passage yesterday—the whole world waited to see us laugh, but that newbie actually cleared it!"

"Your intel's too slow." A bare-chested martial artist shook his finger, speaking mysteriously: "It's not just cleared—I heard he broke the record!"

"Broke the record?!" The announcement stunned the entire leaderboard area.

The Daoist Priest stroked his flywhisk, muttering: "My Wu Liang Tian Zun, a B-class dungeon that broke out of control—how much XP is that? He could jump straight to level 5 or 6."

The martial artist chuckled bitterly: "People comparing themselves to others end up dead. I took six dungeons to reach level 5 back then—I even broke the organization's record and got nicknamed the XP Harvester."

A passing half-beast slapped the martial artist's shoulder and comforted him: "Cheer up—the gap between you and him will only keep growing."

The martial artist spat on the ground, dissatisfied:

"Gap with me? Gap with the whole world! Wait and see—by tomorrow at the latest, the top spot for lowest level and fastest B-class dungeon breakthrough will be refreshed. Save that line for the others on the leaderboard."

"Huh?"

"Wait, a level 1 clearing a B-class dungeon? Can top players really clear the Abyss without taking damage?"

"I get it—the big organizations are buying hacks from this guy!"

As the protagonist of this topic, Wu Chang's shock matched that of every other player.

What did this mean—he'd become the top player on the speed-clear leaderboard? In his original mindset, clearing a B-class dungeon as a newbie might draw some discussion, but not much buzz.

After all, in past games he'd played, final bosses that took him hours—or even tens of hours—with top-tier gear could be cleared effortlessly and unharmed by level 1 players in barebones gear.

Compared to that, clearing just a B-class dungeon at level 1 seemed underwhelming.

With nearly ten billion people on Blue Star, any rational person would never assume they were the special one.

But he overlooked one thing: the Abyss Game isn't a video game—there's no reset.

A genius who shows off growth later but dies early has no future of casually killing bosses with eyes closed.

The massive bounty rewards flooding the leaderboard and the overwhelming public discussion made Wu Chang feel slightly dizzy.

Happiness came too suddenly—like suddenly finding a ten-digit sum in your pocket—who wouldn't be confused?

Fortunately, his Will stat was high enough to snap him back to clarity quickly.

Heaven doesn't drop pies—any force offering such a huge bounty isn't a sucker.

The more you gain, the more you must bear.

Right now, he was just a newbie in the Abyss Game—a rookie among rookies before those old foxes.

Rushing forward out of greed and desire could mean being sold—and still counting their money for them.

The fact that these forces immediately threw down such heavy stakes right after he cleared the newbie trial suggests they already had this thought in mind.

He must listen to what veteran players have to say.

The entire leaderboard area was buzzing about him—he didn't need to worry about gathering intel.

Not far from him, a four-member combat team wearing red, yellow, blue, and white bodysuits with pumpkin-head masks were discussing which faction to join.

Xiao Bai threw out his choice first: "This is a free point—if I were him, I'd choose Bai Ta. Bai Ta leads the world in Abyss exploration and research—it's definitely the better platform."

"Nonsense," Xiao Huang shook his head. "A genius at this level gets sufficient resources from any organization—the difference between platforms won't be that big. If it were me, I'd go to Sakura Island."

Xiao Bai sneered: "Sakura Island can't even break the record of a B-class team dungeon that doesn't make the danger list's top hundred—are you going there for tech charity?"

Xiao Huang gave a cryptic smile: "Platform doesn't matter—environment does. Sakura Island built a paradise called Takamagahara to attract geniuses; compared to it, wine pools and meat forests are underage entertainment."

"Go to the Western Federation, grab a Divine Envoy slot, become a legal superior, and play even more wildly than on Ying Island. Besides, the Western Federation's exploration of the Abyss is second only to Bai Ta and us, with fewer people, more resources, less dungeon pressure, and to compete with other major organizations, they offer even higher prices—absolutely a hidden gem choice."

"Join West Union, become a Divine Envoy, a legally superior human, and have more fun than Sakura Island. Plus, West Union's Abyss exploration ranks third after Bai Ta and us—they have fewer people, more resources, lower dungeon pressure, and higher offers to compete with other major factions. Definitely an underrated pick."

Xiao Hong, who had stayed silent until now, spoke slowly.

"If it were me, I'd go nowhere—Administration is good enough."

"Why?" Wu Chang couldn't help asking, joining Xiao Bai, Xiao Huang, and Xiao Lan.

Xiao Hong shrugged: "The reason is that after the Administration was founded, it gave the beginner's guide for free to all official players in the Xia Country region—even though it used to cost 100 Rotten Silver Coins."

"Ninety percent of players can't earn 100 Rotten Silver Coins after their trial dungeon. Under this vicious cycle, they need a third or even fourth dungeon to afford the most basic beginner's guide. That 100 Rotten Silver Coin startup fund increased player survival rates by at least 30%."

Xiao Bai shrugged indifferently: "Top players don't need such petty favors."

"As the number of Abyss Game players grows, Blue Star's old order will eventually collapse, turning into a survival-of-the-fittest social Darwinian model. This trend may be unavoidable, but I believe our place here will be the last to fall."

"As Abyss Game players increase, Blue Star's old order will inevitably collapse into a social Darwinist model of survival of the fittest. This trend may be unavoidable—but I believe our region will be the last to collapse."

"Living in a collapsing world, humans will eventually be devoured by power—the dungeon bosses have shown this more than once."

Wu Chang listened to several more groups of adventurers' discussions; these veterans' insights gave him many inspirations and shaped his general plan for the future.

Other people's perceptions were ultimately other people's; he needed to witness it with his own eyes, confirm it himself, before he could draw conclusions that belonged to him alone.

Others' perceptions were still others'—he needed to witness and confirm for himself before drawing his own conclusions.

He was the one being fought over—he had plenty of time.

That night, as the earliest and fastest B-class dungeon breakthrough leaderboard refreshed, the Wasteland Realm and the entire Abyss Game world shook.

Level 1, broke the record of a B-class out-of-control dungeon, time: two hours and thirty-five minutes.

The more experienced players were, the more they understood the value of these two figures.

Some said this was a premeditated publicity stunt by Xia Country—selecting a special dungeon to promote a new generation.

Others claimed the newbie had died inside the dungeon; though the record was broken, what emerged was the dungeon boss itself.

Still others said the clearer was a divine messenger, carrying supreme power, descending to help humanity control the Abyss.

The top ten rewards on the public bounty leaderboard began flooding again, as major factions vied in the void for the unknown genius.

Yet Wu Chang, at the center of this media storm, stopped paying attention.

Following the approach in the beginner's guide, he searched the forums for paid, high-quality intel articles, frantically learning everything about the Abyss Game.

Half a month passed in a flash—Wu Chang arrived at the pre-booked esports hotel, hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign, and waited.

The new dungeon has begun, please keep reading, bros try not to stockpile chapters, this newbie really needs it.

(End of this chapter)