Yi Lin stood in the center of the Ranch-Hub, his heart doing jumping jacks in his chest.
On the far wall, a massive, circular archway had activated.
The center swirling with a deep, inviting blue vortex. It looked exactly like the stargates from his favorite sci-fi shows back on Earth, just… slimier.
Next to the archway, on a small pedestal, sat a rugged-looking leather satchel.
[Item: Ranger's Satchel]
[Capacity: 10 Slots (Physical Items). Does not store Slimes.]
Yi Lin grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder.
He checked his Vac-Pack, ensuring the tank was empty and the battery was charged.
"Okay," Yi Lin muttered, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Dimension hopping. No big deal. Just walking into a swirling vortex of unknown space-time physics. Easy."
He looked back at the Corral. Pinky and Mochi were fast asleep, huddled together in a pile of pink gelatin.
"Be right back, kids," Yi Lin whispered. "Daddy's going to get milk. And by milk, I mean alien fruits that sell for a fortune."
He turned to the blue swirl. He took a deep breath.
"Geronimo!"
He squeezed his eyes shut and jumped.
The sensation wasn't painful. It felt like being sucked through a very long, very cold straw, followed by a sensation of weightlessness, and finally—
THUMP!
Yi Lin landed face-first in soft, fragrant grass.
He groaned, spitting out a mouthful of dirt.
"System, work on the landing protocols, would you?"
[Landing successful. Welcome to the Far, Far Range: Zone 1 - The Dry Reef.]
Yi Lin pushed himself up and dusted off his knees. Then, he looked up.
His jaw unhinged.
"Whoa!"
If the cultivation world was a gritty, sepia-toned historical drama, this place was a high-saturation 4K cartoon.
The sky was a vibrant, impossible blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds that looked like cotton candy.
The grass was greener than emeralds.
"It's beautiful," Yi Lin breathed. "It's… it's not depressing! Holy crap, I love it here!"
He took a few steps, his boots sinking into the lush turf.
This world felt alive. There was no oppressing aura of high-level cultivators, no smell of blood or old iron. Just nature.
"Okay, focus," Yi Lin slapped his cheeks. "Mission: Resources. Slimes. Money."
He started walking, heading towards a cluster of strange trees nearby.
One tree was laden with square, red fruits that looked like strawberries cubed by a mathematician.
[Scan Complete: Cuberry]
[Description: Sweet, slightly tangy. A favorite of Phosphorus Slimes.]
Another bush had purple, heart-shaped vegetables poking out of the ground.
[Scan Complete: Heart Beet]
[Description: Adds a rhythmic beat to any salad. Increases heart rate upon consumption.]
"Jackpot!" Yi Lin grinned.
He unslung his Vac-Pack and flipped the switch.
Whirrrrr!
"Come to papa!"
He aimed at the Cuberries.
Three square berries flew off the branch and vanished into his tank.
He ran around the area like a kid in a candy store, sucking up everything that wasn't nailed down.
"This is amazing!" Yi Lin laughed, watching his tank fill up. "I can sell these to the sect kitchen! I'll tell them it's 'Immortal Spirit Fruit' from a hidden realm! Old Liu will lose his mind!"
He checked his inventory.
[Cuberries: 15]
[Pogofruit: 20]
[Heart Beets: 10]
[Carrots: 5]
He was loaded.
But as he crested a small hill, wiping sweat from his brow, he realized something was missing.
"System," Yi Lin frowned, looking out over the vibrant landscape. "Where are the locals? I haven't seen a single slime."
The Dry Reef was gorgeous, but it was empty. No pink bouncing blobs. No playful chirps. Just the wind whistling through the coral rocks.
[Analysis: Slime populations fluctuate based on solar cycles and predation. Local readings suggest a recent Tarr outbreak may have temporarily suppressed the daytime population.]
"Tarr?" Yi Lin froze. "You mean the bad guys? The black ooze monsters that eat everything?"
[Affirmative. However, current scans show the area is clear. The slimes are likely hiding or regenerating.]
"Great," Yi Lin muttered, clutching his gun tighter.
"So it's safe, but lonely."
He kept walking. "Just a little further," he told himself. "Maybe over that ridge. I need a new type of slime. Pink ones are cool, but I need something exotic. Something that poops expensive crystals."
He climbed the ridge. He descended into a valley. He found a grove of glowing mushrooms and harvested those too. He was having so much fun exploring this paradise that he made the classic rookie mistake.
He forgot to look at the sky.
The sky turned a deep, bruised purple.
"Uh oh," Yi Lin said, stopping in his tracks.
"That got dark fast."
He turned around to head back to the portal.
"Okay, just go back the way I came. Over the ridge, past the Cuberry tree, and..."
He looked around.
Every direction looked the same.
Dark rocks. Dark grass. Dark ocean.
"System," Yi Lin said, his voice rising in pitch. "Where's the portal?"
[Navigation Error: Host has wandered outside the immediate range of the Rift Marker. Please retrace your steps to regain signal.]
"Retrace my steps?! I've been walking in circles chasing square berries for three hours!"
Yi Lin felt a cold shiver of panic. He was in an alien dimension. At night. With 'Tarr' monsters potentially lurking around. And he was lost.
"Okay, calm down," he breathed, trying to steady his shaking hands. "I have the Vac-Pack. I have a sword (which I left at the ranch, damn it). I have... a bag of beets."
He started walking, trying to find high ground.
Hoo... Hoo...
Strange sounds echoed in the darkness. Not the chirping of crickets, but weird, electronic warbles.
Yi Lin walked faster. "Hello? Any friendly slimes out there? I have food!"
Nothing.
He stumbled over a root and nearly face-planted. He cursed loudly.
"Dammit! Stupid alien roots!"
He sat up, rubbing his shin. He was tired. And he was genuinely scared.
"Maybe I just sleep here?" he whispered to himself. "Wait for morning? Or will something eat me?"
Just as he was about to curl up into a miserable ball of regret, he saw it.
A light.
It wasn't the blue swirl of the portal. It was a soft, warm, yellowish-brown glow, hovering about twenty feet in the air, near a cliff face.
"A lantern?" Yi Lin squinted. "Is someone else here?"
He scrambled to his feet and crept toward the light.
"Hey! Is anyone there?"
The light moved.
As Yi Lin got closer, hiding behind a rock, the shape became clearer.
It was a slime.
But it wasn't like Pinky or Mochi. It was larger. And it wasn't on the ground. It was flying.
Two small, translucent wings fluttered rapidly on its back, creating a low, buzzing hum.
Its body was a deep, dusty brown color, almost blending into the night.
"System," Yi Lin whispered, staring at the creature.
"What... is that?"
It looked like a firefly mixed with a balloon, dipped in chocolate.
The creature hovered near a Cuberry tree, sniffing a fruit. It looked… majestic. And a little spooky.
[Scanning...]
The System remained silent for a long moment, processing the new data.
Yi Lin watched as the slime opened its mouth and took a bite of a hanging fruit.
But then, it turned. Its large, glowing eyes locked onto Yi Lin hiding behind the rock.
It stopped chewing.
Yi Lin froze. "Uh... nice slime? Good slime?"
"System!" Yi Lin hissed, backing away. "Is it hostile?! Is it a Brown Bomber? A Flying Turd of Death?! Identify!"
[Scan Complete!]
[Species Identified: Phosphor Slime (Variant: Dusk-Wing).]
[Rarity: Uncommon.]
[Diet: Fruit.]
[Behavior: Nocturnal. Unlike standard Phosphor Slimes which are lavender, the Dusk-Wing variant has adapted a darker, earth-tone membrane to camouflage against the canyon rocks during twilight, while retaining its bioluminescent core.]
"A Dusk-Wing Phosphor?" Yi Lin blinked.
"So... it's a glow-bug?"
[Warning: Phosphor Slimes are sensitive to sunlight. They will vanish if exposed to direct solar rays. However, their Plorts are highly valued for their luminescent properties.]
Valued.
The magic word echoed in Yi Lin's brain, overriding his fear.
"Valued?" Yi Lin stopped backing away. He looked at the hovering brown blob. It was pretty big. Probably too big for the gun?
"Can I... catch it?"
[The Vac-Pack is capable of containing it. However, keeping it alive on the Ranch requires a Solar Shield upgrade for the Corral, or a cave environment.]
"I have a cave!" Yi Lin remembered. The clearing back home had a shallow cave at the back! "I have a cave!"
The Dusk-Wing Slime hovered closer, looking curious. It smelled the Cuberries in Yi Lin's bag.
Yi Lin slowly reached into his bag and pulled out a square, red berry. He held it out.
"Here, buddy," he whispered. "You want a snack?"
The slime's eyes widened. It fluttered its wings, descending slowly until it was eye-level with Yi Lin.
It opened its mouth.
Chomp!
It ate the berry from his hand, its lips tickling his palm.
"Aww," Yi Lin smiled. "You're actually kind of cute. In a weird, moth-ball kind of way."
Then, the slime shivered.
A glowing, yellow-brown crystal shot out of it and landed at Yi Lin's feet.
[Phosphor Plort detected.]
[Estimated Value: 15 Golden Coins.]
Yi Lin's eyes turned into dollar signs.
"Fifteen?! That's fifty percent more than the pink ones!"
He looked at the flying slime. He looked at his gun.
"Get in the bag," Yi Lin said.
FWOOMP!
He sucked the surprised, glowing creature right out of the air.
[Phosphor Slime x1 Captured.]
"Yes!" Yi Lin cheered, doing a little victory dance in the dark.
"I got a flyer! I'm amazing!"
But his celebration was cut short by a new sound.
Gurgle... Squelch...
It was coming from behind him. It sounded wet. And angry.
Yi Lin slowly turned around.
In the darkness, where the shadows of the rocks were deepest, a pair of eyes opened.
Then another pair. Then another.
A black, oily sludge was rising from the ground, forming a shape that looked like a slime gone horribly wrong.
[Alert: Tarr Slime Detected.]
[Threat Level: High.]
[Advice: Run.]
Yi Lin didn't need to be told twice.
"Nope! Nope nope nope!"