Ryan Carter woke up to find himself lying by the side of a road. Next to him lay two women and one man, who were probably the newcomers joining this mission world. They were clearly still unconscious and had not yet awakened. Recalling his own first experience entering a mission world, Ryan Carter thought that veterans were better able to adapt to the Lord God's method of teleportation, so even if they passed out during teleportation, they could wake up a bit faster than the newcomers experiencing it for the first time.

The two women were both probably in their twenties, both quite attractive—one dressed in sportswear, the other in a very refined office uniform. As for the man, he was rather well-built, with obvious muscles, likely someone who paid a lot of attention to fitness and working out.

Taking advantage of the time while waiting for the newcomers to wake up, Ryan Carter closed his eyes and reviewed the background of this mission world that the Lord God had input into his mind. Then, the corners of Ryan Carter's mouth curved into a helpless smile:

"It's clearly a modern mission world, so why did I see a scene with a Western European fantasy style before? I wonder if the mage apprentice physique and the 'Beginner's Magic Manual' I specifically exchanged for earlier will be useful in this mission world.

'The Descent'... I remember watching this movie before, so the scene I saw in advance in the Lord God's space must have been deep inside that cave. And that ring in the center of the blood pool, radiating magical energy, should also be some kind of magical artifact. As for those ogres underground, they're a bit like the monsters that always appear near treasures in myth and legend.

So, although the mission this time is to protect Sarah, will that ring become a 'hidden mission' or a 'side quest' in this world? In any case, if I can get my hands on that ring, I should try to do so. Since I was able to foresee it with my own eyes, it clearly isn't an ordinary item—it's worth the risk."

As he thought about this, Ryan Carter stretched lazily and murmured softly, "If I want to survive in this Lord God's space, I can't just muddle through by only completing the main missions. If I don't take some risks, discover and complete other tasks, earn more plot and reward points, and quickly strengthen myself, then sooner or later I'll die in the next mission world—just like Mr. Harris and the others before me. They were clearly veterans who had experienced several mission worlds, yet they were still so weak, unable even to fight off a group of armed thugs. If that's the case, then when facing even more difficult worlds in the future, like mythological or high-tech worlds, wouldn't we just be lambs to the slaughter? I don't want to die, unless I meet a real god—or... I become a god myself."

Unconsciously, Ryan Carter walked a few steps along the road and finally saw a rather shabby gas station down the slope. Previously, because the road was so steep, Ryan Carter hadn't noticed it. Now, Ryan Carter could clearly see a blue van parked next to the gas station, and could vaguely make out the figures of two or three women moving about.

"Are they the protagonists of this movie, Sarah and her companions?" Ryan Carter wondered. The main reason for this guess was that the Lord God would hardly deliberately place him and the others too far from the target they were supposed to protect, as that would be completely pointless. For example, if Ryan Carter and the others were sent directly to China while Sarah and her group were in the United States, there would be no way for Ryan Carter to find the unfamiliar Sarah and enter the cave with her within 24 hours. The best and most suitable way is to have the mission target appear directly in front of them.

Just then, Ryan Carter heard the faint sound of a shoe scraping against the road behind him, and a gust of wind rushed toward him. Almost without hesitation, Ryan Carter lunged forward a few steps and quickly turned around.

The one who had launched the sneak attack from behind was actually the muscular male newcomer. He seemed quite surprised by Ryan Carter's reflexes and speed, because after waking up, he had deliberately kept quiet and silently approached Ryan Carter. Only at the last moment, when he lunged at Ryan Carter, did the increased friction between his shoe and the ground make a faint sound. Yet, even with his back turned, Ryan Carter was still able to quickly move out of his attack range.

"Who are you? Did you kidnap me?" the muscle man demanded, preparing to strike again as he questioned Ryan Carter.

Ryan Carter pointed to his own forehead and said, "The answer to everything is in your own mind. Try to think about where this is, and why you are here."

A suspicious look appeared on the muscle man's face, but a trace of thought also flickered in his eyes. Very quickly, his expression turned to utter shock, and he stammered in surprise:

"This... this... is... the Lord God's space?"