Nyx sighed and brushed her hair back before turning around once more. The Living Space was still as barren as when she had first entered it, with nothing but the endless stretch of lifeless land surrounding her. Yet, despite that, Nyx found herself smiling.
Perhaps she should have been disappointed, but after being given a second chance at life, expecting a perfectly developed space right off the bat would probably be pushing her luck. She’d rather not incur heaven’s wrath this soon. Thank you, but no thank you.
Just then, the System’s voice sounded inside her mind.
[Is something wrong, Host?]
Nyx raised an eyebrow.
Before she could answer, the System continued.
[You seem very satisfied despite the condition of the Living Space.]
Nyx let out a quiet breath through her nose, almost a laugh.
"Satisfied?" She looked across the dead land again. "That’s one way to put it."
Her smile returned in full.
"I’m not disappointed. How could I be?" Nyx spread her arms slightly, turning slowly as though she were presenting the barren landscape for inspection. "Even if it’s empty, it is still a separate space where no one other than me can enter unless I allow them to. This alone is an incredible advantage."
She lowered her arms, and the amusement in her expression softened.
"This space could guarantee that I wouldn’t die so easily, even if I didn’t awaken an ability." She paused. "Especially Lucian."
The System remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
[I was waiting for you to ask whether the Living Space would remain in this condition.]
Nyx looked up immediately.
"Now you don’t have to wait. Tell me."
[It will not remain like this.]
Her eyes brightened.
"The environment can be improved?"
[Yes.]
[The Living Space can recover from its dormant state by absorbing certain forms of energy.]
[The Host may provide suitable energy directly, or the Spatial Seed can activate the space itself to absorb compatible energy and gradually restore the environment.]
Nyx’s curiosity grew.
"Really? I actually wanted to ask about that."
She turned, looking across the barren ground with renewed interest.
"What type of energy are we talking about? Do you mean the energy that can be placed into the energy storage slots?"
[No.]
[The energy used by the Living Space is different from the energy stored in the System’s energy category.]
[Many forms of energy can be used to restore the Living Space. Some are found during Realmfall, while others already exist on Earth.]
Nyx narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"So ordinary fuel and things like that won’t work."
She considered the answer for a moment before another possibility occurred to her.
"Then the ones found during Realmfall... are the energy released during and after the invasion?"
Her expression became more serious.
"I’m talking about the strange energy that will cause mutations in humans, animals, and plants. The same energy that can also cause some humans to become undead."
[Yes.]
Nyx nodded slowly.
"So Realm Essence can be used?"
[Yes. Realm Essence is one of the primary forms of energy that can restore the Living Space.]
[However, it is not the only one.]
Nyx waited.
The System continued.
[Certain natural resources can also be absorbed.]
[Diamond, gold, silver, and other suitable mineral resources can be broken down and converted into usable energy by the Spatial Seed.]
Nyx’s eyes widened.
"Wait. Gold and diamond too?"
For a moment, the idea was so absurd that she almost laughed. Diamonds were supposed to be jewelry, currency, leverage—things people killed for because they were valuable but not this valuable.
Then she remembered what the world would become after Realmfall.
Right, when food, medicine, shelter, and strength determine survival, a diamond might be worth less than a can of beans. If the System could turn it into something useful, then its old value no longer mattered.
[Yes.]
She stared at the barren landscape for several seconds.
"So I can basically feed the space valuable minerals?"
[In simple terms, yes.]
Nyx’s eyes immediately sparkled.
The System, apparently anticipating her enthusiasm, continued before she could get too excited.
[However, small quantities will have little visible effect.]
[Large quantities would be required before the Host could observe significant environmental changes.]
[Diamond would likely provide the greatest effect among the resources you mentioned, but other suitable natural resources can also be used.]
Nyx nodded slowly.
"Okay. That makes more sense."
She wasn’t about to complain about needing large quantities. If diamonds were useful, she would simply have to find them. She thought for a moment before another question came to mind.
"And what about the things that come after Realmfall?"
[They can also be used.]
Nyx’s expression became thoughtful.
"Like beast cores?"
[Yes. The energy cores found within high-level undead, beasts, and certain plants can also be absorbed.]
Nyx blinked.
"Wow."
She slowly looked around the space again.
"That’s a lot."
Her earlier satisfaction had now turned into genuine excitement. Even though she knew beast cores meant powerful creatures. High-level undead. Things that would be dangerous to kill and possibly worse to approach. She would have to become stronger to get what she wants.
The System continued before she could think any further.
[The Earth energy resources will be enough to allow you to restore the Living Space before Realmfall begins.]
"If I remove it from its dormant state, what will it be like?" She tilted her head slightly. "Do you know?"
[Based on the information available to me, the Living Space will no longer resemble a dead land.]
[There will still be no sun, but the ground will return to a stable and natural condition.]
[The withered grass will disappear and be replaced as the environment recovers.]
[The fog will dissipate.]
[The stillness in the atmosphere will disappear.]
[The sky will remain gray, but it will regain its basic function of providing light.]
Nyx nodded, smiling widely.
"That’s great."
The words came out more softly than she expected.
She looked around the Living Space for several more minutes, mentally picturing what it might eventually become. Grass spreading across the ground. Water flowing somewhere through the gray landscape. Trees, perhaps. A place where she could store supplies, recover from injuries, and take refuge in dangerous situations.
"I want to leave—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the world around her blurred.
The transition was so sudden that Nyx barely had time to react.
In the next second, she was back on the hospital bed.
Nyx blinked several times as she stared at the familiar ceiling.
"What just happened?"
[You can leave the Living Space simply by thinking about leaving.]
[The moment you decided to leave, the Spatial Seed responded to your intention and returned you to your original location.]
"Oh."
Nyx looked around the hospital room, "I didn’t know that."
She settled back against the pillow before remembering something else.
"Show me the System Interface."
The interface immediately appeared before her.
[Realmfall Survival Apocalypse System]
[Host: Nyx Arden]
[Status: Activated]
[Temporal State: Pre-Realmfall]
[Realmfall Event: 30 Days, 10 Hours, 3 Minutes Remaining.]
[Storage Slots: Available.]
[Spatial Seed: Available — Dormant.]
[System Functions: Partially Unlocked.]
Nyx studied the interface.
So, what else do I need to check?
Her eyes moved across the available options before stopping on [Status].
She tapped it.
The interface changed.
[Host Status]
[Name: Nyx Arden]
[Age: 24]
[Physical Condition: Injured]
[Current Injuries: Left Arm Fracture]
[Ability: Unawakened]
[Ability Origin: Undetermined]
[System Synchronization: 100%]
[Spatial Seed: Connected]
[System Authority: Partial]
Nyx read through the information carefully.
Nothing seemed particularly surprising. Her gaze lingered on [System Authority: Partial].
That was interesting.
She had no idea what determined System Authority or what she would need to do to increase it, but she decided not to get distracted by another question just yet. She swiped back and tapped on [System Functions].
The interface changed again.
Aside from the previous [Storage], [Spatial Seed], and [Status] options, several new options appeared below them.
[Abilities]
[Map]
[System Missions]
[Exchange]
[Locked Functions]
Nyx’s eyes stopped on the final option.
"Locked Functions?"
[Certain functions require additional System progression.]
Nyx studied the list for several seconds.
She could already guess what some of the options probably involved, and she was admittedly curious about all of them. Still, there was no reason to rush. Eventually, she would learn what everything did.
For now, she might as well start with the one she was most curious about.
[Abilities.]
Nyx selected it.
The interface changed.
[Ability Information]
[Current Ability: None]
[Ability Status: Unawakened]
[Ability Origin: Undetermined]
[Stage: Unawakened]
[Level: Unknown]
[Talent Quality: Unknown]
Nyx stared at the information. Seriously? She understood what Ability Origin and Level meant, at least in principle, but what exactly were Stage and Talent Quality? Her brows drew together slightly as she studied the unfamiliar terms.
"System–"