A new secret realm?
The adventurers' excitement immediately shot through the roof.
Pig King exclaimed, "Miracle City was founded five minutes ago and you're already planning a second secret realm?"
Lone Wolf added, "That's insanely fast!"
Bright-Moon-Over-Snow stepped forward on behalf of the adventurers. "Lord Kanzaki, what will Miracle City's second secret realm be like? Can you share any early details?"
Nekomi Momo chimed in, "Is it another zombie-themed dungeon?"
Wool Warrior practically knelt, "Please, just a tiny leak!"
…
Kanzaki Ren had brought up the topic on purpose.
He wanted to drop just enough information to hype them up.
Only then could he nudge these lunatics into fighting for the territory's future.
"The timing isn't ripe for full disclosure. Everything is still classified," Kanzaki Ren said. "But I can share one early estimate."
The adventurers leaned in, necks stretched, ears perked.
"Miracle City's second secret realm—and every future secret realm—will not feature zombies of any kind."
Everyone blinked.
Blackstone Hammer King frowned. "If we're not fighting zombies, then what? Isn't that Miracle City's biggest specialty?"
Kanzaki Ren shook his head. "Miracle City will create many secret realms, but there will be no recycled materials and no reused mechanics. Every single realm will have its own identity."
He declared firmly:
"This lord will never create a reskinned secret realm."
The crowd froze.
What kind of bold statement was that?
Not afraid of jinxing yourself, Lord Kanzaki?
In this day and age, who doesn't reuse assets? It was practically a universal rule.
Their doubt was natural.
After all, their understanding of secret realms was limited by the lack of truly top-tier lords in the region.
But Kanzaki Ren wasn't ordinary.
He wasn't even "genius-level".
He was something else entirely.
The Grand Plan
Kanzaki Ren had already planned out his future secret realm strategy.
His biggest problem wasn't a lack of materials.
It was that he had too many high-quality materials—but not enough cores.
To maximize efficiency, he had to consolidate resources.
His solution:
Fuse all materials of the same category into a single massive realm.
One style.
One world.
Endless updates.
For example, Frenzy Apocalypse.
This realm fused together the world styles of biological horror, zombie shooters, and survival action.
It already included elements from Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, and similar worlds.
In the future, every related game, anime, movie, or similar setting could be used to create expansions.
And not just enemies.
Gameplay mechanics too.
Zombie survival.
Battle royale.
General shooter systems.
There were countless materials that could fit.
Which meant endless potential updates.
This would become a perpetual content machine.
And so would every future realm.
He would activate more inspiration crystals.
Sort materials by type.
And build one massive world per category.
Each realm would grow for years.
Evolving alongside Miracle City.
Never going stale.
Never becoming obsolete.
His goal:
Every fan of every genre should find the one secret realm they love—and always have something to look forward to.
Realms could be divided by art style.
A wuxia realm, fusing every martial arts world into one grand Jianghu.
A xianxia realm, merging every cultivation universe into a vast immortal world.
A souls-like realm.
Mythology.
Cosmic sci-fi.
Urban fantasy.
Horror.
Or divided by gameplay.
Strategy.
Casual.
Roguelike.
Sandbox.
As long as the lore fit, anything could be sewn together.
And if something didn't fit?
Call it an alternate universe or a special expansion chapter.
Problem solved.
Take the essence.
Discard the flaws.
Create a lineup of realms richer than any other territory.
In sheer quantity, Miracle City might not win.
But in quality? It would be untouchable.
Of course, this was his long-term strategy.
No need to explain all that to the adventurers.
Even if he did, they wouldn't understand.
And if they did understand, they probably wouldn't believe him.
So best to save the breath.
And simply do it.
Still, the small tease was enough to ignite massive excitement.
Kanzaki Ren judged the timing was right.
He cleared his throat, preparing to request the freshly dropped Pursuer Soul.
After all—
Persuading adventurers was a core skill for any dungeon lord.
And he had already prepared several negotiation strategies.
But right as he was about to begin—
White Crane Hermit stepped forward.
"I request to hand over the Pursuer Soul."
Kanzaki Ren blinked.
…He hadn't even said anything yet.
Why was the old man doing his job for him?
Blackstone Hammer King yelped, "Old Master, why?! That soul is priceless!"
White Crane Hermit replied calmly:
"This soul is useless to me for now. Miracle City needs it more than I do."
Any lord knew how agonizing it was to reclaim souls.
Many realms produced souls just fine.
But recovering even one-tenth of them was considered lucky.
Those realms lived in perpetual deficit.
Some collapsed outright.
Nanshiriya was stunned.
She never expected White Crane Hermit to offer the soul voluntarily.
For low-tier adventurers, a soul of this level was unimaginably precious.
Yet he handed it over without hesitation.
Miracle City's strength would rise sharply.
A massive boost at this stage.
She suddenly felt ashamed of her earlier cynicism.
Lord Kanzaki knew full well the risks of depending on adventurers.
Yet he remained open, honest, and focused solely on building good realms.
He never forced soul recovery.
Never lied.
Never schemed.
And still, the souls came to him willingly.
This was the highest form of respect a dungeon could receive.
This…
was true lordship.
Miracle City wasn't normal.
And neither was Kanzaki Ren.
"I have only two conditions," White Crane Hermit said.
"Speak."
"First—I will become a contract adventurer of Miracle City. And I will bind my Tank Soul as my contract spirit."
Gasps erupted.
White Crane Hermit—the former strongest adventurer in Blackstone Town, the retired dean of the academy—was returning to the field?
And choosing Miracle City as his home?
A bombshell.
"This is going on the forums tonight!"
Bright-Moon-Over-Snow's eyes shone.
The old man had finally let go of his past.
Miracle City reignited his passion for adventure.
Despite his age, he was once a fourth-tier adventurer.
With plenty of resources.
If he returned to training, he could break through again.
Miracle City was the perfect catalyst.
Kanzaki Ren nodded. "Approved."
Most dungeons hated taking in someone like him.
Miracle City needed him.
Experience mattered.
"Second—when Xiao Xue reaches Tier Two, Miracle City must prioritize providing her a Tier Two soul."
The first request was for himself.
The second for Bright-Moon-Over-Snow.
Reasonable.
Kanzaki Ren agreed readily.
And as the first adventurer ever to offer a Tier Two soul, White Crane Hermit earned 1000 Contribution Points.
Deal sealed.
Soul acquired.
And with that Pursuer Soul, Kanzaki Ren finally had everything he needed to forge his first true Tier Two combat force.
A small step.
But a crucial one.
Night approached.
Miracle City's business hours were ending early.
Time to tally the earnings.
The adventurers had worked hard.
The income was excellent.