it's time I educated you on the ABC's of being a Secret Realm Administrator. First, you—"
Cubby stopped. He realized Zack wasn't listening. His Host was currently using "Eye of Ra" to peer into the world around him. Even without a body to move, Zack's consciousness was everywhere at once, drifting over the landscape like a silent ghost.
"Wow... this place is magnificent," Zack thought.
He realized the realm was shaped like a small, floating island, roughly seven kilometers across. It wasn't a world yet—it was a sprawling, celestial estate. He saw the core land mass where he stood—a floating continent of vibrant, emerald plains and ancient, gnarled forests and valleys. To the north, jagged mountain ranges of violet stone pierced the sky, their peaks capped with snow that never melted. To the south, he glimpsed a sprawling archipelago of small islets, each connected by bridges of living vines,a large lake with crystal clear waters and hidden springs.
He tried to push his vision further, curious about what lay at the edges of the horizon. But as his consciousness drifted toward the border of his seven-kilometer domain, he hit a wall. A thick, impenetrable silver fog swirled there, heavy and suffocating. No matter how much he strained his Eye of Ra, the mist refused to part. It wasn't just weather; it was a barrier of the world itself.
"What's with the fog?" Zack asked.
"That's the edge of your authority," Cubby explained, floating over. "The realm is currently in a collapsed state. Those biomes exist, but they are locked in stasis. You need to upgrade the realm's rank to lift the fog and reclaim more territory. Right now, you're a boss with a very beautiful, ten-kilometer backyard."
Zack sighed. "A look more like a garden to me." Still, he looked at the parts he *could* see. To Zack, the former gardener, it was the canvas of his dreams.
"Hey! Stop daydreaming!" Cubby's voice chirped. "You have a new quest, Host. Let's hurry. Once the Secret Realm opens in 23 days you may end up getting get beaten, your treasures will be stolen, and your precious garden will be destroyed."
Zack's spirit flared with a protective instinct. "Who in their right mind would want to destroy an ecosystem this beautiful?"
"Trust me," Cubby sighed. "Those cultivators are beyond mad."
"Yeah, you're right," Zack conceded. "They're like the pests in my old garden. Aphids, beetles... they just want to consume everything. Fine. It's time to install some pest control."
Suddenly, the system chimed with a heavy, resonant sound.
[New Quest: Restore the Heart]
[Description: After the reboot, the Spirit Core was lost. Please insert a new Spirit Core.]
[Reward: Unknown]
"Cubby, how do I...?"
"Say no more!" With a wave of Cubby's appendages, a screen appeared.
[Do you wish to insert the Low-Level Secret Realm Spirit Core? Y/N]
"Yes."
[Installing and Inserting the SRS Core...]
[Integrating and Merging the SRS Core with the Realm...]
[Initiating Sublimation...]
[0%... 75%... 100%! Complete!]
A torrent of unfamiliar but pleasant energy swept through the whole realm. Nature itself seemed to convulse as the laws of the world stabilized. High above, the atmosphere ignited. Shimmering ribbons of green and violet Auroras began to dance across the sky. Around the violet peaks of the northern mountains, massive Circular Halos of light formed, casting rainbow rings through the mist.
The air grew heavy with static. Suddenly, spiderwebs of Volcanic Lightning—purple and jagged—branched across the horizon. Down in the valleys, the Fog of the Unknown pulsed, receding just a few meters to reveal a glimpse of a hidden, glowing marshland before settling again. Along the archipelago, hundreds of Fogbows arched over the islets, looking like ghostly, colorless rainbows.
"What energy is this?" Zack asked. "It's unlike anything I've seen."
"It's called Spiritual Qi," Cubby replied. "Now... look at yourself."
Zack looked at himself, or rather, the body the Spiritual Qi had joined his consciousness to. It was a towering, 9.1-meter-tall statue. It looked like the Sphinx back on Earth, but the material was something completely unknown—a substance that looked like a blend of polished, celestial gold and indestructible stone. There was no fur, no skin, and no breath. It was a cold, hard monument. Vibrant colors—lapis blues and deep crimsons—were etched into the mysterious material like permanent enamel.
Even though he had powerful legs and mighty wings, he realized the truth immediately.
"...Well, this sucks."
He couldn't move. Not an inch. He was a 9-meter-tall, low tier calamity statue pinned to the position of a guardian.
"Don't worry," Cubby jiggled. "As long as you keep upgrading the realm, it's just a temporary problem."
"Good to know," Zack replied, looking down at his own unmoving, golden-stone paws.
"Now, I recommend you check your notifications," Cubby added.
Opening the system and looking at the notifications, Zack didn't know whether to laugh or cry...