North of Four Mountains, on the road to Colossus City, lay plains where traces of what had once been towns or county seats could still be seen.
The wasteland had only just entered autumn. It was neither cold nor hot.
After running out of Four Mountains all morning, Agent Feng stood atop a small hill and gazed at the vast yet ruined world before him.
"Now this is an open-world map."
An open world meant every location on the map could be reached, without plot restrictions or invisible walls. It was the approach used by many mainstream games nowadays.
Still, seeing it in a fully immersive virtual reality game was quite shocking.
Unlike the other players in Four Mountains, Agent Feng was not someone obsessed with leveling up and killing monsters. He preferred exploring unknown worlds and unraveling the mysteries hidden throughout the Game World.
He especially liked things like the game between humans and ghosts that his high school classmate Forgiveness Hat had mentioned.
"So, we know there's an incredibly powerful female ghost in Four Mountains. Why was she sealed there? And according to information from other players, she didn't leave immediately after being unsealed. She's still hiding in Salt Well Town. Is there something there she cares about?"
There were no clues to any of that. With his current strength, there was no way he could challenge the female ghost and demand answers.
Agent Feng had also entered the Phantasmal Illusion. That one-time dungeon gave him 200 experience points and let him relive a battle he had once taken part in. His instructor had died in that battle. Within the illusion, he chose to sacrifice himself in exchange for his instructor's life, and that cleared the dungeon.
At that moment, it felt as though he had finally let