Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened-Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Don’t Overlook Any Possibility!

“F-First...”

Zhao Hanyan swallowed hard before stammering, “Isn’t first place a bit too insane?!”

Originally, her older brother was a Level 12 Swordsman. In her eyes, that was already close to being top three on the entire national server. But now, she was completely stunned!

Not only did her brother not make the top three…

But first place? What kind of joke was that?!

Level 20?!

What kind of international prank was this?

At this point, Zhao Mingyuan seemed much calmer.

He said evenly, “Looks like at least one of the previous server-wide announcements had something to do with this first-ranked player.”

Zhao Hanyan nodded at first. But then, a hooded figure suddenly popped into her mind. Yet she quickly shook her head.

If that cloaked person was really a player, how could they have fooled so many people?

At the very least, the Ning siblings had confirmed that the hooded figure was an NPC, and that same figure even gave each of them 500,000 gold coins!

But then look at the Wealth Leaderboard…

Even top executives of real-world corporations only had about 2 million gold.

Who would be willing to give away 1 million gold just like that?

So logically, that person could only be an NPC!

“Yan’er, what are you thinking about?” Zhao Mingyuan asked, seeing his sister zoning out.

Zhao Hanyan snapped back to reality and shook her head. “Dad just contacted me. He told me to log in and pass on a message: you must keep developing well in the game and not slack off!”

Zhao Mingyuan nodded slightly. “Got it.”

Zhao Hanyan added, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen Dad so serious! I mean, it’s just a game, right? Why would a stubborn old man from the last century care this much?!”

Zhao Mingyuan didn’t explain much. “I just contacted a few friends who have extra gold. I’ll pool some together so you can change class soon.”

Zhao Hanyan pouted. “Not interested anymore.”

With that, she turned and left.

She wanted to rely on herself!

Besides, her name was now #5 on the Fame Leaderboard.

She was secretly overjoyed!

—

In Zhouxing City, inside a small inn…

Ning Qianjun and Ning Qingyue had spent gold to book a room.

“Brother, look! Do you recognize the person who’s ranked first in level?” Ning Qingyue asked excitedly.

Her mood was still soaring sky-high and hard to settle.

Ning Qianjun smiled bitterly. “With the name and nickname hidden, even someone like me who knows a lot of people couldn’t recognize them!”

Ning Qingyue sighed and hung her head. “Neither of our names made it onto the leaderboard this time…”

Then she gritted her teeth. “But that pair of bastards — Zhao Mingyuan and Zhao Hanyan — both made it! One’s fourth on the Level Ranking, and the other’s fifth on the Fame Ranking. It’s infuriating!”

Ning Qianjun couldn’t help but chuckle. “Is it worth getting so angry?”

“Of course it is!” she said without hesitation. “Why them and not us?”

Ning Qianjun tried to console her. “Look on the bright side. We’ve already changed classes, and Zhao Hanyan hasn’t.”

Hearing that, Ning Qingyue’s mood improved slightly.

A smile tugged at her lips. “Good thing we waited for that mysterious NPC in the Novice Village, or we wouldn’t even have had enough to pay the city entry fee!”

Ning Qianjun laughed too. But then his expression suddenly changed.

“What’s wrong, brother?” Ning Qingyue quickly asked.

After a long pause, he finally replied seriously, “Elder Xin and Grandpa both messaged me at the same time. They want me to find the player ranked #1 in level!”

Ning Qingyue was stunned. “How are we supposed to do that?!”

Ning Qianjun said calmly, “Did you notice something? The #1-ranked player hasn’t even changed class yet!”

Her eyes lit up.

But then she frowned again. “Still, that’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Ning Qianjun continued, “I doubt I’m the only one who got that directive. While the major cities aren’t overcrowded yet, we need to act fast. In a few days, even the big cities will be swamped.”

Ning Qingyue nodded at first, then quickly shook her head. “No! Don’t forget, we’re still on that quest from the mysterious NPC. If we don’t reach Level 15 in three days, we’ll have to pay back double the gold we received!”

“Oh crap!” Ning Qianjun slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot!”

When the leaderboard was published, both siblings realized just how ridiculous some of their earlier thoughts were.

Even the top player on the Wealth Leaderboard only had 2.98 million gold.

After class change and buying two skill books each, the two of them now had barely a few coins left.

If they couldn’t reach Level 15 in time…

There’s no way they could pay back over a million gold!

—

Cangyuan City, Heavenly Summer Empire…

Unlike other Novice Villages, each teleportation sends players to a different city.

Cangyuan City was one of the main destinations.

This city wasn’t as bustling as Zhouxing City, but it didn’t charge any entrance fee!

Some class changes were even free.

The various class locations lined the main street.

Some well-off class areas, like the Nature class, had buildings made of packed earth. It was simple but at least functional.

By comparison, the Priest class area, the “Holy Church”, was just a shabby tent covered with tattered cloth!

Even the head priest who helped players change class was dressed in rags.

“Damn! Other players teleported to cities that are scenic and well-developed. Look at us dumped in some rundown slum that looks like a 20th-century rural village!”

“Be thankful! I saw a post that some unlucky folks from later-numbered villages got sent to a barren wasteland. Not even an NPC in sight!”

“Trying to out-miser each other now?”

“Cut the chatter. Did you see the rankings? Someone insanely strong is at the top!”

“No kidding, the forum’s exploding. Some are even claiming the game has cheats!”

“Haha!”

“How the hell did they level so fast?”

“I’ve been grinding hard, and I’m just now hitting Level 10!”

The players arriving in Cangyuan City were all talking heatedly.

—

Outside the city, in a swamp…

A robe-clad player held a staff, gracefully dodging attacks from Level 10 swamp monsters.

He used AOE spells to wipe them out in clusters.

After about three minutes, he panted and frowned. “Out of mana again.”

He looted the corpses, then returned to the city and opened the forum.

His gaze was cold, and he muttered, “A Level 20 Swordsman with no class change... interesting.”

Beep beep!

A voice message came in.

He accepted.

A voice rang out: “Hahaha! Sun Xing, you promised to take the top spot!”

The mage player replied with a crying emote: “QAQ”

—

Rizhao City, Heavenly Summer Empire…

A graceful female player with a bow sat on the steps of the Archer class change area, the “Hunter Tribe.”

She sipped a local specialty tea.

Her face was half-covered by a strange mask that revealed only her eyes, nose, mouth, and chin.

“Tsk… so I’m not first after all…” she murmured, her voice soft and full of frustration.

Her gaze was fixed on the top name on the Level Ranking.

Who knows what she was thinking?

—

In a cabin in a certain Novice Village…

“Find them!”

Several older players had gathered with a group of younger ones.

The older ones weren’t high-level and wore no special gear, but carried a commanding presence.

The younger players, on the other hand, wore gear glowing blue or purple. Their levels were clearly high.

“Yes, sir!” they answered.

An older player added, “Investigate in secret. Find the top-ranked player. If you do, recruit them! No conflict, no resistance. Agree to whatever they ask!”

“Yes, sir!”

After they left, only the older players remained.

“What if we can’t find them?” one asked.

“Then we focus all our resources on training top players!” another said.

One elderly man sounded more pessimistic. “All geologists agree that the Earth is expanding rapidly. In at most 8 days, it’ll reach a critical point. Everything — life, buildings, even traces of civilization — will vanish! I don’t get it. Why are we still playing this game?!”

The leader patted him on the shoulder. “Old Yang, it’s not just Earth expanding anymore. Unknown creatures have been appearing in the real world, and they match monsters from this game!”

Old Yang was stunned. Despair deepened on his face.

The leader sighed. “Rather than wait for death, we should explore every possible path. And this game appeared exactly when Earth began to change. We must take this seriously. We can’t overlook any possibility!”