Chapter 2: Secret Realm Administrator
The ringing silence was the first thing Zack registered, followed by a dull, throbbing ache behind his eyes. He felt strangely heavy and detached, like a severed node in a massive, dormant network. A moment later, a voice—soft, high-pitched, and oddly cheerful—stitched itself through the silence.
"Host... host. You can open your eyes now. The reboot is done."
Zack didn't open his eyes immediately. He only groaned, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. "What... what voice is that?" he muttered, the words thick and gritty on his tongue. He had expected the metallic tang of an anesthetic or the familiar hiss of the server racks, but not this chipper, almost synthesized chirp.
A surge of pure curiosity finally wrestled his eyelids open.
The world resolved into the sterile grey of the Observation Chamber, but his attention immediately snapped to the air directly in front of his face. Floating there, gently oscillating like a captive firefly, was the source of the noise.
It was a perfect, spectral cube, roughly the size of a Rubik's cube, shimmering with a faint, crystalline blue light. It had no discernible body, yet two ridiculously large, inquisitive purple eyes blinked at him from its face, settled above a small, expressive mouth that seemed permanently curved in a smile. Small, translucent appendages—more like cute, articulated segments than proper arms—jiggled excitedly. It was spectral, almost entirely immaterial, yet undeniably present.
"What are you?" Zack demanded.
The cube tilted its body with an air of theatrical offense. "Well! That's terribly blunt, even for a freshly-reset Host. Wait, let's rephrase that for clarity and social grace. What, precisely, are you?"
Zack narrowed his gaze, ignoring the attempt at witty banter. "The question was mine."
The cube—Cubby, apparently—zipped closer, its voice spiking with manic, uncontained excitement. "I am Cubby! Your System Avatar, and, more importantly, I'm here to ensure the optimal transference of the Secret Realm's Consciousness!" Cubby spun a quick, celebratory circle, scattering shimmering blue dust.
Zack's composure vanished, replaced by a cold, immediate alarm that bypassed the residual fog of the reset.
"Optimal transference?" Zack retorted, his voice low and dangerous. "You mean hijack the consciousness of the Secret Realm. You're nothing but a digital thief."
Cubby froze mid-spin, its purple eyes widening in genuine outrage. "How dare you make such baseless accusations! Me? A thief? I'm an optimization specialist! I'm here to save—"
A sudden, sharp ping interrupted the entity. A tiny, holographic alert flashed briefly on one of its cube faces. Cubby's tone instantly shifted, becoming more sarcastic and defensive.
"Well, looks like we have a handle," Cubby huffed, performing a quick, irritable shudder. "Honestly, if I were a thief, would I be making announcements? I am a Guardian Assistant Protocol! I am logged into this system with full administrative clearance, as per the Realm's core operating standards."
Zack ignored the cube, which was still loudly ranting about its credentials. He walked past the spectral entity to a nearby terminal mounted on the wall. The screen glowed with a cascade of unfamiliar, complex code. He stared at the access log. Cubby was right; the creature hadn't forced its way in. It was logged in—but under a very suspicious entry marked 'Anomaly: Optimization v2.1.'
He sighed at the anomaly. He should have checked the system diagnostics first, but his instinct had been to confront the unusual. "Fine," he conceded, turning back to the floating cube. "What is the real problem, Cubby? Beyond your dubious admin rights."
Cubby, mollified by the concession, straightened up like a little floating general. "Excellent! Now we can be professional. Accessing operational summary now. Open Secret Realm Panel!"
A massive, transparent holographic screen flared into existence, displaying the realm's pathetic status in stark reality:
| Name: | Azure Secret Realm |
|---|---|
| Status: | Blank (Wiped Clean) |
| Heaven and Earth Creatures: | None |
| Realm Guardian Beast: | None |
| Wandering Beast: | None |
| Wild Creatures: | None |
| Spirit Mines: | None |
| Artifacts: | None |
| Bloodline & other Inheritances: | None |
| Core Feature: | Sapling of a Great Tree |
| Size: | Undetermined |
| Opening In: | 23 Days |
| Limit: | Non-supernaturals and supernaturals |
| Number Limit: | 50 external beings |
"Looks like we have a lot to handle," Zack couldn't help but sigh at the sight of the work he would have to do. The Core Feature being a Sapling was the only thing stopping the realm from being an empty rock.
"Open Host Panel."
The screen switched, presenting Zack with his own terrifyingly powerful new reality:
[Host Status Panel]
| Host: | Zack |
|---|---|
| Race / Being: | Sphinx |
| Spirit Tokens: | 100 |
| Title: | Boss Guardian of the Spirit Realm |
| Level: | Calamity — Low Tier |
| Skills | Description |
|---|---|
| Eye of Ra (Tier 5) | With this skill, nothing in the Secret Realm can remain hidden. Can identify anyone and anything you set your eyes on. Can also create clones of every size and shape to do your bidding. |
| Calculative Brain | Enhanced deduction, memory, and processing power. |
| Oblivion | A mysterious skill linked to erasure and concealment. |
| Guardian of Riddles & Questions | Innate affinity for truth, logic, and trial-based challenges. |
| Unending vault | Internal space with endless space that produces a bunch of minor treasures like gold, diamond, jewelry,ruby and more every three days |
| Truth Comprehension | Heaven-defying comprehension of all things. |
Before Zack could comment on his bizarre new power set, a notification flashed over the skills list.
> [Ding! Starter Pack available.
> Reward for completing the restoration quest.]
>
A confirmation window appeared:
> Open Starter Pack?
> Y / N
>
Zack exhaled, a mix of hope and desperation filling him. "Open."
The screen burst with a cascade of golden light, and motes of power shimmered around the Observation Chamber.
> [Ding! You have obtained a Spirit Core.]
> [Ding! You have obtained a secret realm Mutation Talisman.]
> [Ding! You have obtained a Low-Level Spirit Mine.]
> [Ding! The wishing Lamp has been activated.]
> [Ding! You have received the Inheritance of the Great Sword's Man (Sir Ahwe).]
>
The items settled around him in shimmering motes, each one pulsing with potential.
Zack's eyes widened. "Whoa… this is way more than I expected. That's... actual resources."
Cubby floated smugly. "Welcome to the benefits of being a Realm Guardian, Host. Now, stop drooling. You can't use them anyway."
"What? Why?"
Cubby executed a frustratingly human sigh. "If you eat the bait, how are you going to catch fish? These are your starting chips. You use them to build defenses and attract other cultivators, not to make yourself a god."
"Ahhh...?"
"Well, you have a lot to learn as a Secret Realm Administrator!"