Of course, the game only had the potential to change the era at this moment, and its real capability had yet to surface. After all, it was still new, and Atlas was only referring to its absolute realism technology.
It would still be a long way to go before it redefined the current era and became the leading VR Game.
Atlas swept his eyes around at the desolate surroundings. It was vast and seemed endless, but it also appeared pointless to him.
Why was the area so big? Atlas didn't know the purpose of it. This was his first time playing a game in which he couldn't see any players in his vicinity, a starting village, or NPCs.
No, there weren't even any monsters around; it was truly empty. Or was he the only one who entered this game? No, he shook his head. That was so impossibly tragic, if that was indeed the case.
Atlas blinked and was speechless for a moment. He couldn't help but scratch his head, then also found out he had long hair as he did so.
"What exactly am I supposed to do?" Atlas muttered in the air, asking himself and not really expecting any answer since no one was there.
Surprisingly, a message appeared in his vision. The system seemed to answer him!
[Explore the world and Evolve as much as possible.]
Atlas seemed to gawk at the text in front of him before he blinked and asked in confusion.
"Evolve?" Of course, he knew what it meant, but he only wanted to clarify something first.
However, the system didn't respond again. Atlas continued walking while thinking of what he needed to do as honestly, this game seemed not really new player-friendly at all.
"Explore and evolve..." Atlas mumbled the keywords, and his eyes lit up.
Yes, it was that simple. This game might not be going in the same direction as the other popular games on the market. Although Atlas also couldn't tell too much as he was only inside for over ten minutes at most.
"What about my status?" Atlas remembered this, and perhaps he could see any clues about what to do after seeing his status.
[Player Name: Death Whisperer
Level: 1
Race: Necromancer
Abyssal Essence: 0/5
Evolution Progress: 1% (Newborn)
Common Skill: Raise Dead (Upgradable)
Attributes: [Hidden]
Evolution Bonus: 0
Lord's Favor: N/A ]
Atlas scrutinized his game status for a while and focused on the new terms for a moment.
"Abyssan essence... Evolution progress..." His eyes narrowed as he rubbed his chin. "Hmm... Maybe this is it? It's this game's term for leveling up."
In a way, it made perfect sense.
As Atlas continued on his way, he realized just how big this Abyss Edge was, and he still didn't know what he needed to do. A few minutes later, he finally stumbled into other players, as confused as he was.
His eyes lingered with some for a moment; they were mostly in humanoid forms, but there was still a big difference in their appearance. Some had horns and tails, and some were too pale to even be called alive.
Unlike him, who was walking alone, most were walking in twos, threes, or even groups. The complaints also filled the air as they cursed the developers for not revealing anything about the game.
Atlas shrugged and continued again. In his opinion, there was no way the developers thought such a desolate game map was sufficient for a game, right?
He hoped so. Otherwise, this absolute realism technology would be such a waste.
As he strode into the unknown, he felt a sudden change in the air. Atlas lifted his head and observed the atmosphere. His senses seemed more sensitive than before.
This was what astonished him the most: this game could replicate or even heighten their senses in a way that no other game could ever accomplish.
"This mist... Is it just me, or is it getting thicker?" Atlas licked his lips and stared ahead of him. It was still desolate ahead of him, but as he narrowed his eyes, he noticed something different.
"Dead trees?" He exclaimed. Atlas' footsteps became faster; he didn't know, but for some reason, his cells were becoming more active than ever before.
Was it because of this mist? Atlas couldn't confirm for sure.
Not for long, and the dead trees gradually became clearer to him. There were players ahead of him, and they had already disappeared inside; their presence seemed to have disappeared to Atlas, which surprised him.
Atlas stopped just as the boundary before the forest ended. He observed the seemingly dark forest before him. It was gloomy, and... dangerous.
The mist intertwining in the air seemed to emphasize this point.
Some players also arrived as they chatted and soon disappeared inside; only Atlas lingered there for a while before deciding to step forward.
He didn't know why he was so cautious. This was merely a game; did it make sense to be so vigilant? Atlas shook his head and proceeded. Perhaps he was becoming so immersed because of the sense of reality the game gave off.
As soon as he took a step and left the boundary, a system message appeared in his vision.
[Warning! You're about to leave the Abyss Edge (Safe Zone)]
[You will enter, 'Cursed Forest']
[Remember: Evolve or be devoured. Goodluck!]
Atlas couldn't help but chuckle at the last part. The system often sounded so ominous, just like how it told them the abyss was welcoming them.
When he entered the Cursed Forest, Atlas noticed how different it was from the Abyss Edge, which was deemed the safe zone by the system.
The periphery was full of dead trees, and yet it still obscured most of his vision, not to mention the mist in the air. Atlas didn't slow down his pace, but his movements became refined; he was finally in hunting mode.
As specified, this forest was a hunting ground or a leveling area, while the Abyss Edge might be similar to the starting village.
Due to the vast space, Atlas also didn't encounter other players again. For him, it was better this way. He was a solo player, and he wanted a more peaceful environment as he enjoyed the game and became stronger.
It didn't take long when Atlas stopped and leaned on a huge dead tree. His ears caught a sound; it sounded like the squeak of an animal but also had the soft tone of a child.
"Ah up... hehehe!" Atlas cautiously glanced at where the sound was coming from.
Amidst the darkness, one solitary creature was walking with a small cane as it jumped around while laughing.
Atlas narrowed his eyes and concentrated his eyes; immediately, the creature's information appeared in his vision.
[Abyss Imp (Level 1)]