Wow, a Bald Head!

"Welcome, duelist from another world, to the Different Dimension Duel System."

"Huh? What?"

Half-asleep and in a deep slumber, Yu Ming felt like he heard a strange sound.

"I am your navigation sprite. You may call me..."

"I am your guide."

But before he could discern it clearly, the mechanical sound completely faded, replaced by a melodious yet majestic female voice.

He instinctively tried to open his eyes, but only felt an inexplicable weariness wash over him.

With a blue-purple base and orange-white accents, a beautiful butterfly-like figure flashed by, leaving only the abyss-like darkness before his eyes.

"No need to force your eyes open. Rest well."

However, in this abyss, he felt no panic.

A slightly cool yet gentle touch graced his forehead, bringing only a sense of peace.

"I will be with you until the end of time."

It was as if an incredibly long time had passed, as if the sensation of falling, of weightlessness, resonated from deep within him.

"What a strange dream."

Yu Ming opened his eyes.

Even though he felt he had slept for a long time, weariness still lingered in his mind, refusing to dissipate.

"So sleepy... I should've known not to stay up late."

After getting up from his bed, he couldn't help but stretch.

"Mom, what's for breakfast to—"

Before the question, practically ingrained in his DNA, could leave his lips, he was stunned by the sight before him:

A dark room, completely enclosed like a cage, with no windows. Though vast, it was empty.

By candlelight, Yu Ming could clearly see the sharp yet grotesque carvings on the walls.

The main door was also violently destroyed, completely blocked by a pile of rubble and boulders, with only a hidden door on the floor allowing entry and exit.

Row after row of shelves were filled with weapons like swords, bows, and spears, as well as armor and shields. There were even wands only seen in fantasy worldviews, peculiar books, necklaces and jewelry, and fur coats made from various grotesque monsters.

"This isn't my room..."

A strong sense of crisis, arising from the discrepancy with his memories and common sense, began to surge. He immediately looked at a mirror in the room.

In the mirror, the pale-faced boy wearing a ruby necklace, though handsome, could not be reconciled with the image in his memory.

And what was the usual term for this kind of situation?

Yu Ming racked his brain, trying to think.

After a long while, the word that could describe the current situation surfaced from the depths of his memory.

"Transmigration..."

"You're finally awake."

Before his almost overloaded brain could process the situation, a sudden voice made him jolt.

He instinctively looked towards the source of the sound, only to see a man.

His brown skin was highly distinctive. His monastic robe seemed to signify his religious beliefs, yet the pure gold cross hanging on his chest added a touch of profound mystery.

But these details weren't particularly important. What mattered was the glare from the top of his head, which Yu Ming found somewhat dazzling:

"Wow, a bald head!"

"..."

"I'm sorry."

Seeing the man's silence, Yu Ming couldn't help but speak, but the man shook his head.

"It's fine."

Though he said that, he still put on a Middle Eastern-style turban.

"You seem very energetic and strong. That puts my mind at ease."

"...So, who are you?"

After a moment of silence, Yu Ming asked.

To be honest, he didn't like interacting with an unknown stranger when he was completely unprepared and even disoriented.

But there was no other way now. At least this man in front of him was an opportunity for him to understand this place, to understand this world.

"I am merely a traveler, an ascetic striving to atone for my mistakes."

Hearing this, Yu Ming couldn't help but frown.

This was clearly not the answer he wanted.

To him, a statement with no name or title was practically gibberish.

But…

"If circumstances allowed, I would indeed like to chat more with you, but there's no time for that now. You should prepare yourself as quickly as possible."

"What do you mean?"

The monk didn't speak; reality answered for him.

BOOM!

A sudden explosion sounded, and a slight tremor made Yu Ming's expression change.

"What's going on outside…"

"It's the enemy."

Looking at the sealed door himself, the monk said expressionlessly, "The gears of fate have begun to turn. The lonely king who awakened in this world needs to return to his homeland, and no mistakes can be tolerated in this process."

"…Can you speak like a normal human being?"

"You must save this world."

Now I get it… NOT!

"Me?"

Yu Ming pointed at himself.

"Save the world?"

Is this for real?

"Do I look like someone who can save the world?"

It was just… so sudden.

He had just transmigrated to an unfamiliar place, and after listening to a bunch of bizarre riddles, he was immediately burdened with the heavy responsibility of saving the world.

"Am I some hero summoned from another world or something?"

Though he grumbled, Yu Ming couldn't help but look at the various weapons of different designs.

Magnificent greatswords.

Giant axes embedded with skulls.

Magic staffs encrusted with crystals.

He couldn't name them, but with these 'divine artifacts,' his starting situation shouldn't be too miserable, right?

But just as he thought that, he felt the weapons wriggling.

"Huh?"

No, they weren't wriggling; they were dissolving. But before Yu Ming could fully see, a dazzling light snatched away his vision.

"I know you have complaints about this, but no one else can do this now except you."

A calm voice resonated, slowly fading away.

When Yu Ming regained his senses, everything around him had disappeared.

Whether it was the monk who spoke earlier, or the weapons, sculptures, and furnishings in the room—they had all vanished without a trace.

Of course, that included the unknown monk as well.

"Young man, I hope this Millennium Scale can help you… This world is in your hands."

"?"

Looking at the now empty, bare-bones room, Yu Ming was dumbfounded.

"Seriously, after all those grand words, you didn't even leave a single weapon?"

At this moment, he felt his inner complaints surge like an unstoppable flood.

"At least leave me a sword!"

Oh, wait, he did seem to leave something.

On the empty table lay three items: a pure golden scale, a white wristguard adorned with a skull carving, and finally, a deck of cards.

Only the golden scale stood steadily, and beside it, a stack of cards lay quietly.

Just looking at it, Yu Ming felt like he was laughing out of sheer frustration.

BANG!

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The continuous vibrations and chaotic footsteps echoed, feeling like they were trampling on his heart, each step causing him pain.

"So, can this scale turn into a Saint Cloth to wear? Can this wristguard turn into a gauntlet? Or am I supposed to save the world by playing cards…"

Actually, he was being sarcastic, but as the words reached his lips, he suddenly felt something was off.

"Saving the world through card games."

Hmm, maybe that's not impossible?

Forget that strange dream; even the things appearing now seemed a bit familiar.

"Cards, a Scale..."

What did that guy call this thing again?

"Millennium Scale... a Millennium Item?!"

He immediately scrambled out of bed and practically tumbled over to the desk.

There, the card's back, like a swirling abyss, stimulated his mind, pulling a word from his memory.

"Duel Monsters."

What would the accompanying equipment look like?

Yu Ming's gaze slowly shifted to the white object.

With trembling hands, he picked up the gauntlet. As soon as he put it on, a device as sharp as a blade unfolded.

It looked like a weapon, but certain features still betrayed its true nature.

The grotesque skull was the card slot for the deck, and the sharp 'bone blades' that extended outward, thick at the base and tapering to a fine edge, were the Spell/Trap Zone and the Monster Zone.

"A Duel Disk?"

And when these elements combined, the true nature, the very name of this world, became incredibly clear.

"Yu-Gi-Oh!?"

Holy crap!