"Look at yourself—your rebith is now in form of an ghost race. You remember who you were. But me? I was reborn, yeah… but that's all. I have no memories of who I was before. The Rebirth Talent might've brought me back, but it wasn't strong enough to preserve my past."
Ghost Corvus stared at him silently, the weight of his words settling in.
"I'm just… some guy who knows he's been given a second chance," Corvus continued, "but without a map. No history. No identity. I don't even have the Rebirth Talent anymore. It vanished after awakening."
His shoulders dropped slightly.
"All I have now is this body, this rune, and this second chance at life."
Ghost Corvus looked at him for a long moment. Then he slowly nodded, his earlier skepticism replaced by quiet understanding.
"…That's rough," he finally said. "I thought you were some all-knowing reincarnated powerhouse. But you're… just trying to figure it out too, huh?"
Corvus gave a half-smile. "Pretty much."
"Well, I guess it's normal then," Ghost Corvus said with a shrug. "I was really wondering where this 'Rebirth' talent came from… turns out it was just a one-time use thing after all."
Corvus nodded, but internally he was thinking something else entirely.
'I should've been a novelist in my past life. How the hell did I spin such a convincing story in a moment like that?' he thought, feeling like patting his own back.
Ghost Corvus didn't notice and continued, "Okay, last step for the basics. You know about the types of Mystic Runes, right?"
Corvus gave a slight nod. Truth was, he knew almost everything Corvus knows—he got all his Mystic Rune knowledge from Ghost Corvus himself. But he wasn't going to admit that now.
"Yes, I know Mystic Runes are divided into two types and five levels of ranking… but that's about it."
Ghost Corvus nodded. "Alright. No problem. So—regardless of rank or type—all Mystic Runes share two base functions: Appraisal and Storage."
"Appraisal is simple—it lets you inspect your own status, powers, abilities, and such. But only your own. It can't appraise others."
Corvus nodded again, absorbing the details.
"And the storage space?" he asked.
"At Tier 0, you get 100 square meters of dimensional space to store items," Ghost Corvus replied. "But it'll grow as your Tier increases."
He paused before continuing. "Now, you're probably wondering what this 'Tier' thing actually means, right?"
Corvus raised a brow. "Go on."
"Tiers are basically how we measure power level," Ghost Corvus explained. "Tier 0 means you've just started out. You're a rookie Lord or a newbie adventurer. From there, it goes up—Tier 1, Tier 2, all the way to Tier 12."
"Twelve?" Corvus echoed.
"Yeah. Tier 12 is the highest known Tier—at least, among mortals and current lords. But it's not the absolute limit. The strongest Tier 12 Lords say they still feel like there's room to advance beyond."
Corvus whistled softly. "That's… a long climb."
Ghost Corvus nodded. "And each Tier is further divided into four phases: Low, Mid, High, and Peak. You need to reach Peak of one Tier before ascending to the next."
Corvus folded his arms. "And how do I increase my Tier? Mystic Energy?"
"Exactly," Ghost Corvus confirmed. "You grow your Tier through absorbing Mystic Energy, gaining cores, fighting, completing trials, defeating other Lords… all those kinds of activities inside the Mystic Realm."
Corvus nodded slowly, absorbing it all.
"Now," Ghost Corvus said, his expression turning serious, "let's talk about the Mystic Realm—probably the most important piece of everything."
Corvus listened intently as Ghost Corvus began explaining.
"The Mystic Realm came to our world—Prithvi—about a hundred thousand years ago. Ever since then, countless legendary Lords and heinous villains have risen and fallen within it."
"That long, huh?" Corvus muttered.
Ghost Corvus continued. "Once someone successfully binds a Mystic Rune and becomes Lord-class, they gain a territory—an estate roughly four kilometers in size, one kilometer in four direction forming an perfect square."
"A whole territory?" Corvus raised a brow.
"Yep. And it always starts with three basic buildings," Ghost Corvus said, holding up three fingers. "First, the Lord's Manor. That's the heart of your territory. Literally. Deep inside it lies the Lord's Heart—a core of power."
"What happens if it's destroyed?"
"If an enemy kills the Lord and destroys the Heart, the Lord's Rune regresses into an Adventurer Rune. But if they claim the Heart instead, they can plunder your power and resources. It's one of the main ways Lords fall and rise."
Corvus frowned. "So defend it at all costs."
"Exactly."
"The second building is the Summoning Gate," Ghost Corvus said, pointing at the imaginary layout. "From there, you can summon your villagers, heroes, or beings tied to your domain. Think of them as your people—your civilization."
Corvus whistled. "Sounds useful."
"It is. Very," Ghost Corvus said with a nod. "The third building is called the Trade Hall."
"Let me guess," Corvus said looking at him "where I trade loot or buy stuff?"
"Exactly. It's your marketplace, black market, and treasure vault all rolled into one. You can exchange resources, buy rare items, and even unlock special summons—if you're lucky."
Corvus tilted his head. "Special? Like… what exactly?"
Ghost Corvus smirked faintly. "Anything, really. Relics, equipment, consumables, constructs. Occasionally, even mercenary contracts—though don't count on that often. The Hall is built like a gacha system. You offer resources or Trade Tokens… and hope fate's in your favor."
"So I could get a legendary ghost weapon…" Corvus began.
"Or a mildly enchanted potato peeler," Ghost Corvus finished.
Corvus sighed. "Of course."
"And before you ask," Ghost Corvus added, "no, there's no guarantee your rewards will match your Lord Rune. You might be the Ghost Lord and still pull items related to flame, light, or beasts. The system is tied more to realm entropy than your title."
"Sounds fair," Corvus muttered with mild sarcasm.
Ghost Corvus chuckled. "It is what it is."
Then his tone shifted, becoming more serious.
"One last thing. After binding your Lord's Rune, you must enter the Mystic Realm within ten days. If you don't, the Rune will automatically regress to Adventurer Rank."