The Tidal Secret Realm had one main goal for clearance: find and enter the safe house. However, Boss Jack had ingeniously placed the safe house two kilometers from the starting point, and the Adventurers hadn't managed to venture beyond a 500-meter radius yet. It seemed unlikely they'd clear it today.
But that didn't dampen their spirits. The thrill of exploring a new world, discovering fresh resources, weapons, and items, along with the continuous rewards and surprises, kept them captivated and addicted.
The random spawning of zombies added an element of unpredictability, ensuring each round was full of exciting changes, preventing the Adventurers from growing bored or complacent.
The Adventurers were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"I'm out of energy!"
"Lord Jack, this Secret Realm is incredible!"
"The realism and immersion are top-notch! I haven't had this much fun in ages!"
"I've never experienced such a tense, exciting, and fun Secret Realm. It feels like I've truly been transported to another world, surviving the apocalypse!"
"Lord, you're a genius!"
"If Doomsday Frenzy doesn't become popular, I, Pig King, will run ten laps around Blackstone Town naked!"
"Lord Jack, how did you make your Secret Realm so entertaining?!"
"..."
The Adventurers were thoroughly hooked.
Jack, as the Lord, felt a swell of pride.
But this was just the beginning.
"You have yet to taste the real thing!" he said. "The novice mode is merely a tutorial level, showcasing less than one-tenth of the Secret Realm's content. To truly experience this world's charm, you'll have to push further!"
"Really?"
"You're exaggerating!"
"Tidal Secret Realm is already excellent. Are you saying the current content is just a tutorial level?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"..."
Jack stoked the Adventurers' curiosity and desire for exploration. They could hardly imagine Tidal Secret Realm could be even more enthralling!
Not only was it incredibly enjoyable, but Tidal Secret Realm also yielded a wealth of resources, primarily food and drinks like cola, sprite, beer, candy, chocolate, and instant noodles, along with basic supplies.
Though low in value, these scarce resources were enough to satisfy the Adventurers and were considered treasures in Blackstone Town.
Wind's Edge announced, "I'm buying Secret Realm resources, at least 5 soul sand per item!"
Moonlit Snow added, "I'm buying cola and chocolate, 10 soul sand per bottle. Sellers, hurry up."
Soul sand, fragments decomposed from soul crystals, were the basic currency among Adventurers. Each soul crystal could be decomposed into one hundred soul sand. The monthly living cost for an average family in Blackstone Town ranged from 800 to 1000 soul sand.
Moonlit Snow's offer to buy cola at 10 soul sand per bottle was enticing. Each drop of cola from Tidal Secret Realm was a case of six bottles, equating to 60 soul sand—a tempting return!
This allure further fueled the Adventurers' enthusiasm.
Exhausted but eager, many were reluctant to leave Miracle City.
"I still haven't had enough!"
"My heart's itching to keep fighting zombies!"
"Even watching others play is fine, but we can't play anymore. What should we do?"
"Call more people!"
"Great idea!"
"..."
Before long, more Adventurers flocked to Miracle Dungeon, all invited by the previous batch of players.
"Hammer, Old Pig, why the urgent summons? Don't you know I'm queuing for a Secret Realm?!" said a young man codenamed "Lone Wolf" as he arrived.
Pig King replied, "From now on, forget about those dull Secret Realms. The newest and most exciting Secret Realm in Blackstone Town is right here in Miracle City!"
Lone Wolf asked, "Really?"
John Stone added, "I won't claim it's the most fun in town, but it's unique and won't disappoint you. Old Pig and I will guide you!"
Pig King urged, "Hurry and enter the Secret Realm! I want to see zombie battles! I want bloodshed!"
Even though they couldn't play themselves, watching others fight zombies was enjoyable.
Mandy, Moonlit Snow, Lone Blade, Wind's Edge, and other Adventurers were also inviting people, drawing in about thirty more Adventurers.
Jack was pleasantly surprised by this second wave of growth today!
The new Adventurers were immediately captivated by the novel, exciting world of zombies.
The previous batch gathered around the Secret Realm crystal, watching the new players with anticipation, offering commentary and guidance.
Whenever someone performed a brilliant move or made a discovery, the onlookers cheered and encouraged them.
The Secret Realm Lobby was lively, full of a cheerful atmosphere.
The vibe was fantastic!
[Adventurer "White Little Deer" generated 1 point of mental power!]
[Adventurer "White Little Deer" has died, mental power +1, soul crystal +1!]
[Adventurer "Hongshao Dazhuti" has died, mental power +1, soul crystal +1!]
[Adventurer "Lone Wolf" has died, mental power +1, soul crystal +1!]
[...]
Jack had anticipated decent income, but he hadn't expected it to be this high.
Even an Underground City with a strong start operating for two months might not generate such prosperity, yet Miracle City had only been open for two days!
The Adventurers were making strides. Some had explored a kilometer and found more weapons, increasing their addiction.
"Wow!"
"Amazing!"
"The assault rifle's firepower is fierce!"
"With this gun, I can take down a horde of zombies!"
"The sniper rifle's accuracy is incredible, the range is far! The Lord's inspiration is outstanding! How did he create such weapon materials?!"
"How many more weapons are there in this Secret Realm? It's so satisfying to use them!"
"..."
Jack received a special notification.
[Adventurer "Lone Wolf" obtained "zombie soul essence" from Tidal Secret Realm. Your mental power -1!]
"A soul essence appeared already. That was fast!"
For both Lords and Adventurers, soul essence is an extremely precious and important resource.
Lords use soul essence to create mercenaries, train armies, and summon combat units. Adventurers can absorb soul essence to enhance their foundation, a key resource for advanced upgrades.
Each monster type can theoretically produce soul essence, and each Adventurer can absorb the soul essence of each monster type once.
When an Adventurer obtains soul essence, the Lord's mental power is consumed. The higher the quality and rarity of the soul essence, the greater the consumption.
However, for Jack, this was no issue. His Underground City's mental power income was abundant. This small consumption was negligible. The more soul essence produced, the more resources he had to build armies and expand his territory.
The Adventurers were abuzz with excitement.
"Wow!"
"A soul essence appeared!"
"Someone got a soul essence!"
"What? Quick, look! What kind of soul essence is it!"
"..."
The lucky Adventurer was Lone Wolf. He quickly displayed the soul essence information publicly.
[zombie soul essence], ordinary soul essence, can be directly absorbed and refined for enhancement, or applied for fusion and recovery in the Underground City.
"Envious!"
"Amazing!"
"The drop rate in this Secret Realm feels several times higher than others!"
"Although it's ordinary quality, it's a soul essence type never seen before. This alone will attract attention and interest from many forces!"
"..."
Each soul essence type can only be absorbed once by an Adventurer.
Since Lone Wolf obtained "zombie soul essence" for the first time, he definitely wouldn't choose recovery.
However, as long as Tidal Secret Realm continues to attract Adventurers, the soul essence produced can be recovered by the Underground City and used by Jack to build or trade for essential resources.
As time ran out, the Adventurers left Miracle City reluctantly.
Jack tallied the day's harvest. Fifty-nine Adventurers had challenged the Underground City, yielding 449 points of mental power and 276 soul crystals.
A Secret Realm with a soul crystal to mental power ratio of three to one is considered good, and two to one is very high-quality.
And "Doomsday Frenzy" exceeded one to one!
There is no second Secret Realm like this in Blackstone Town.
As expected, players would clear the novice level tomorrow.
With sufficient mental power and initial accumulation, it was time to create formal levels, introduce more special Zombies, and show them what true danger and excitement are!