That’s normal. The Preloader times out and reboots the device. You must click “Download” in SP Flash Tool before connecting the USB.
The Preloader is the first code that runs on the CPU after the boot ROM. It initializes the DRAM and loads the secondary bootloader (LK or U-Boot). For flashing tools (SP Flash Tool, Miracle Box, UnlockTool, MCT, etc.), the Preloader is the gateway to writing data to the eMMC/UFS storage. oppo realme mtk preloader
Indirectly. Using mtkclient in BROM mode, you can read/write the “seccfg” partition to unlock the bootloader without needing fastboot oem unlock. That’s normal
No. Recovery is a higher-level boot stage. Preloader is one level below BootROM. You cannot access the Preloader via key combinations like Power+Volume Up; it appears only when the bootloader is corrupted or via a USB command. The Preloader is the first code that runs