"Thousands of hours, and finally, a perfect ending."
In a single apartment, Wang Mu, his eyes bloodshot, stared at the full-screen CG ending image on the 4K monitor.
On the screen were seven stunning beauties, each with their distinct charm. From dainty and adorable to valiant and heroic, to cold and sorrowful, undeniably seductive, to gentle and demure, their presence was commanding... Some wore flowing white gowns, ethereal and peerless; others donned green robes with swords at their sides, their demeanors proud and unyielding; and yet others were adorned in phoenix crowns and wedding dresses, radiant as if goddesses...
At that moment, in the picture, they were all, without exception, gathered around a man.
This was a hidden ending of a single-player martial arts role-playing game called "Heroic Road Dust": The Love Saint.
There were dozens of endings in the game, and this one was the most challenging. So challenging that no one had ever completed it since the game's release. The difficulty was due to the fact that this ending could only be achieved on 'Peerless Under Heaven' mode, which meant you couldn't save your game.
As an avid gamer, Wang Mu had spent thousands of hours over several months, restarted countless times, memorized over a hundred thousand words of event choices, and planned the distribution of action points every month...
A development timeline spanning decades, tens of thousands of event choices where no mistake could be made, hundreds of roaming paths, countless martial arts and mental methods to select from, victory in every battle, and even the usage of each consumable...
Wang Mu gazed at the picture, his face flushed with excitement, as he recalled every moment. The excitement was not just about the twists and turns of pursuing seven heroines, nor was it merely about the peerless martial arts and divine skills. It was about the sense of achievement that came with reaching the ending.
Conversely, to Wang Mu, these seven heroines were more like tools for reaching the ending, hardly worth mentioning. Of course, Wang Mu still admired the game developers for creating each heroine so vividly, with fully-fleshed-out and distinct personalities.
Yep, he liked each and every one of them.
After immersing himself for a moment, Wang Mu was about to take a screenshot as a keepsake when suddenly the picture changed slightly; the image disappeared, and a few words appeared:
"Congratulations on achieving the unique ending. Would you like to enter New Game Plus?"
Wang Mu was taken aback. New Game Plus generally meant playing through the game again after completing it. Usually, to enrich the gaming experience, game developers would hide some content or completely new endings for players to discover in New Game Plus. However, after the release of "Heroic Road Dust," the developers seemed to have vanished, and there was no talk of any New Game Plus content. As a result, this game was quite niche and not well known.
A unique ending? How can a single-player game have a 'unique' one?
Once I release a walkthrough, won't everyone be able to complete it then?
Wang Mu shook his head with a laugh; thinking this, he decided not to continue. For a gamer, a game that has been conquered on the highest difficulty was like a marriage suffering the seven-year itch, only recalling the good old days from time to time. Normally, even touching it could bring nightmares. After all, he was too familiar with everything in the game. The passion was gone.
At this moment, another line of text appeared on the screen.
"Tip: The difficulty of New Game Plus is higher. Please be mentally prepared if you wish to continue..."
?
Reading this message, the emotions Wang Mu had suppressed were immediately stirred.
Heh, trying to provoke me, huh? I always fall for this kind of challenge!
Confirm!
In the next instant, there was a flash of light.
And then the world was short one handsome young man…
---
In Huangtian Continent, at Anle Village, located at the foot of Gu Yun Mountain. Outside the village, a ragged young man with disheveled hair looked at the sign at the village entrance, his heart pounding, his head spinning, and murmured a few words:
Is this freaking New Game Plus?
Wang Mu had never imagined that he would be transmigrated just like that. Feeling the comforting breeze on his face, the familiar yet foreign wooden houses in the village ahead, and the soft, muddy path under his feet made every detail feel incredibly real.
This is really...
Wang Mu's expression changed gradually, and he became excited. This is just too awesome... Earth Online was tough and grindy; I've long wanted to quit that game!
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary game otaku who, with his own effort, had barely managed to save up a few million by the age of 27. Of course, that level of wealth was considered poor online, where the average annual salary was in the millions. Yet to Wang Mu, it meant he didn't have to worry about food and clothing. As long as he didn't spend recklessly, he could essentially slack off and live out his life in peace.
The main thing was.
That money is also enough to repay my parents for raising me, to support their retirement.
Wang Mu thought about his parents. He wasn't an orphan; he had parents. But his was a blended family. His father had passed away early due to illness during Wang Mu's high school days, when the family was financially strained. His mother, who only had an elementary school education, couldn't carry on alone and later married another man to get by, subsequently having another son and daughter. The people were actually quite nice, but for Wang Mu, who was still in high school at the time, his family falling apart and the lack of emotional connection had left him with little expectation from his family.
However, there was no angsty melodrama to it. He went through college unremarkably. After graduation, he worked to support the family, was exploited as an intern, worked as a waiter, sold bubble tea, delivered food, learned tech skills, had a relationship, and let years slip by without achievement. The many hardships endured were best left unsaid to others.
Eventually, after some twists and turns, he became a streamer who specialized in playing different games. During the era of explosive internet growth, he managed to get a taste of success, making a modest sum of money. Of course, Wang Mu believed his success was mainly due to his solid gaming skills. It had little to do with his handsome face. As for the title "Wu Yanzu of Bilibili," Wang Mu rejected it.
And his family ties had faded. So much so that now, reflecting back, Wang Mu's mind couldn't conjure many warm memories; what appeared more were various screens of gaming achievements:
Beating a Valkyrie into submission with a wooden stick...
Encountering Ganon right after walking out of the starting cave...
Defeating the Elite Four with just a Magikarp...
Scenes from the past surfaced in his mind. After all, these were the things that accompanied him the longest in his gaming time.
Wang Mu chuckled and shook his head, everything fleeting like clouds and smoke. His vision gradually became clearer as he turned to look at the village.
Anle Village, the initial nurturing place for a beggar start in the game.
A deep confidence filled Wang Mu's eyes. He had transmigrated into the game world.
With my knowledge of this game, how could I not skyrocket from here? System Daddy? Get lost! I am the cheat code! I, Wang Mu, need no cheat codes!
At that moment, Wang Mu was radiating confidence from every inch of his being.
As he walked into the village, Wang Mu felt that it was bigger than he had imagined. This was nothing unusual, perfectly normal even. Heroic Road Dust was just a single-player martial arts cultivation game, where the villages were tiny maps with just a handful of households. But this was the real world.
The beggar start, seemingly the worst in the game, actually has the highest potential ceiling.
From the sons of wealthy merchants, second-generation heroes, to court guards, Hao Gang's children, descendants of famous families, and so on...
Wang Mu reminisced about the game's starts; these starts, more or less, came with favorable conditions, such as money, initial martial arts, family backing, brothers to rely on, or famous teachers for guidance.
A beggar start had nothing. However, a beggar start was the only one that could be nurtured in Anle Village. In Anle Village, one could learn fishing, hunting, mining, cooking, herb gathering, pet raising, among other things. Learning these skills would increase one's attributes, laying a solid foundation. With a foundation, one could choose their own martial arts path—an extremely open-ended journey!
After a few steps, Wang Mu spotted an older woman with a charming silhouette, carrying a fish basket, heading to the other side.
Wang Mu pondered for a few seconds, then walked over and said, "Excuse me, Sister, may I ask what this place is?"
The older woman turned around while bellowing loudly, "Huh? Are you blind? Didn't you see this is Anle Village..."
Before she could finish, she turned and caught sight of Wang Mu, her eyes widening: Such a handsome young man!
Despite his beggar appearance, he was fair-skinned with white teeth, standing tall like a pine, eyebrows like swords, and eyes like stars. Even his messy hair and ragged clothes couldn't hide his otherworldly charm. That call of "Sister" made the older woman's heart bloom with joy, her voice suddenly much gentler, "Young man, this here is Anle Village. By your looks, you must be a refugee from a nearby village, correct?"
"Exactly, exactly!" Wang Mu hurriedly put on a gloomy face, then lowered his voice, "Both my parents and our village have been..."
As he spoke, Wang Mu feigned touching a sorrowful spot, showing a face of grief. It was always like this with a beggar start. However, what saddened Wang Mu at the moment was the painful memory of countless restarts when he had finished the game. The thought alone made Wang Mu don a mask of suffering, looking like a master of expression management.
"It was the Fierce Beasts that attacked, wasn't it?" The older woman frowned, touched by Wang Mu's show of genuine emotion, and felt deeply sympathetic. "It's been like this around here recently..."
"You first come with me inside."
OK! Successfully entered the village!
Wang Mu nodded. In this real world, although there was no interface or choices popping up, he was in familiar territory.
Afterward, the older woman took Wang Mu to meet the Village Chief first. After explaining Wang Mu's background, the chief arranged a rather intact small wooden hut for him in a corner at the village entrance. The villagers were still simple and honest. Although their names were quite different from those in Wang Mu's gaming memories, there were similarities. Wang Mu felt nothing amiss.
"My surname is Hong, given name Cuixia. Just call me Aunt Hong."
"Young man, now that you've come to Anle Village, just stay well and start anew!"
"Don't belittle this wooden hut."
Aunt Hong pointed at the wooden hut in front of them, explaining in detail to Wang Mu.
Hearing this, Wang Mu knew there must be a story, so he continued to ask, "Sister Hong, does this hut have some kind of story?"
"Of course, it does!" Aunt Hong said proudly, the confidence on her face almost overflowing. "This is the place where Dongfang Mu, an Ancient Sage from a millennium ago, once stayed. Our Anle Village was once quite glorious!"
???
Wang Mu was taken aback, a few question marks popping up in his mind.
An Ancient Sage from a millennium ago. What kind of setting is this? I've never heard about this in Anle Village. Could this be some new feature in New Game Plus? Or is it a difference due to this being the real world? Wait a minute! Dongfang Mu?
He seemed to remember something. Wang Mu's expression grew extremely odd, and a strange feeling began to rise in his heart.
"Sister Hong, is this Dongfang Mu the hero Dongfang Mu who once defeated the Devil Piao Miaoxu and unlocked the Gate of Apocalypse?"
In the game, the player's ending involved defeating an archenemy, Piao Miaoxu, and then unlocking the legendary and mysterious gate, the Gate of Apocalypse. As for what lay beyond the gate, that was an open-ended conclusion, left to the player's imagination.
"Oh? I didn't expect that in this day and age, there would still be young people who know about these old stories." Aunt Hong looked at Wang Mu approvingly. "Ah, Wang, that's very good. Since you know this, you might as well come and pay respects."
Wang Mu quickly nodded, yet he was shaking on the inside.
Pay respects?
He followed Aunt Hong to the center of the village. There, stood a stone statue several tens of meters high. The statue stood with hands clasped behind its back, exceptional swords and daggers strapped to its back. Its posture was magnificent and peerless, its gaze sweeping disdainfully over the world.
However, as Wang Mu looked at the statue, waves surged in his heart:
Holy crap, isn't this my game character from when I cleared the game, the renowned Love Saint Dongfang Mu?