Wow, a Bald Head!

"Duelist from another world, welcome to the Different Dimension Duel System."

"Huh? What?"

Half-asleep and sleeping soundly, Yu Ming felt as though he had heard a strange voice.

"I am your guide spirit. You may call me..."

"I am thy guide."

Before he could make out the words clearly, the mechanical voice fell completely silent, replaced by a melodious yet dignified female voice.

He instinctively tried to open his eyes, only to feel an inexplicable wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Blue and purple formed the base, accented with orange and white. After that beautiful butterfly-like figure flashed past, all that remained before him was abyssal darkness.

"There is no need to force yourself to open your eyes. Rest well."

Yet within that abyss, he felt no fear at all.

A cool yet gentle touch rested against his forehead, bringing him nothing but reassurance.

"I shall remain by thy side until the end."

After what felt like countless ages had passed, a sensation of falling weightlessly surged up from within him.

"What a strange dream."

Yu Ming opened his eyes.

Although he felt as though he had slept for a very long time, drowsiness still lingered in his mind and refused to fade.

"So sleepy... I should've known better than to stay up late."

After sitting up from the bed, he could not help stretching.

"Mom, what's for breakfa..."

Before that question, practically engraved into his DNA, could leave his mouth, the sight before him stunned him.

The dim room was completely enclosed like a prison cell, with no windows. It was enormous, yet empty.

Under the candlelight, Yu Ming could clearly see the sharp, vicious marks carved into the walls.

The door had been brutally destroyed and completely blocked by piles of rubble and massive boulders. Only a trapdoor in the floor provided access.

Row upon row of racks were hung with weapons and armor—swords, bows, spears, shields, and more. There were even magic wands, strange books, necklaces and jewelry, and fur coats made from all kinds of vicious monsters, things one would only see in a fantasy world.

"This isn't my room..."

A powerful sense of danger rose within him as the mismatch between this place and his memories and common sense became impossible to ignore. He immediately looked toward a mirror in the room.

In the mirror, the pale-faced youth wearing a ruby necklace was handsome, but no matter what, he could not overlap with the image in Yu Ming's memories.

And what was this kind of situation usually called again?

Yu Ming racked his brains.

After quite a while, he finally dredged up a word from the depths of his memory that described his current situation.

"Transmigration..."

"You're finally awake."

Before his nearly overloaded brain could sort out the situation, a sudden voice made him jolt.

He instinctively looked toward the source of the voice, only to see a man.

His brown skin was highly distinctive. His monk's robes seemed to represent his religious faith, but the pure gold cross hanging from his chest gave off an air of profound mystery.

But none of that was particularly important. What mattered was the glare from the top of his head, which made Yu Ming's eyes hurt.

"Wow, a bald head!"

"..."

"Sorry."

Seeing his silent expression, Yu Ming could not help apologizing, but the man simply shook his head.

"It's fine."

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

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

"...So who exactly are you?"

After a moment of silence, Yu Ming asked.

To be honest, he did not like having to deal with an unknown stranger without any preparation, especially while he was still completely confused.

But he had no other choice. At the very least, the man before him was his chance to learn about this place and this world.

"I am merely a traveler, a penitent undergoing ascetic training and doing all I can to atone for my mistakes."

Hearing that, Yu Ming could not help frowning.

That was obviously not the answer he wanted.

There was not even a name or title. To him, that answer was basically meaningless nonsense.

But...

"If circumstances allowed, I would indeed like to speak with you more. But there is no longer time for that. Make your preparations quickly."

"What do you mean?"

The monk did not answer. Reality answered for him instead.

Boom!

A sudden explosion rang out, and the slight tremor stirred Yu Ming.

"What's going on outside...?"

"It's the enemy."

The monk glanced toward the sealed door and spoke expressionlessly.

"The gears of fate have begun to turn. The lonely king awakened in this world must return to his homeland, and there can be no mistakes in that process."

"...Can you speak like a normal person?"

"You must save this world."

Now he understood... like hell he did!

"Me?"

Yu Ming pointed at himself.

"Save the world?"

Was this for real?

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

It was just... way too sudden.

Not only had he been transported to an unfamiliar place, but after listening to someone spout a whole lot of nonsensical riddles, he had immediately been burdened with the responsibility of saving the world.

"Don't tell me I'm some hero summoned to another world?"

Even as he mocked the idea, Yu Ming could not help looking toward the strangely shaped weapons.

An incomparably ornate greatsword.

A massive axe embedded with a skull.

A magic wand inlaid with crystals.

He could not name any of them, but with these "divine artifacts," his start should not be too miserable, right?

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

"Hm?"

No, they did not seem to be writhing. They were dissolving. But before Yu Ming could see clearly, a brilliant light stole his vision.

"I know you resent this, but no one besides you can accomplish it now."

The calm voice echoed, gradually fading into the distance.

When Yu Ming came back to his senses, everything around him had vanished.

The monk who had been speaking, the weapons, the sculptures, and the decorations in the room—all of them had disappeared without a trace.

Of course, that included the nameless monk as well.

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

"?"

Yu Ming stood dumbfounded as he looked at the now-empty room, which resembled an unfinished apartment.

"No, after saying all that high-sounding nonsense, you didn't even leave me a weapon?"

At that moment, the complaints in his heart surged like an unstoppable flood.

"Couldn't you at least leave me a sword?!"

Oh, no, wait. It seemed the man had left something behind after all.

Three items sat atop the empty table: a pure golden scale, a white bracer decorated with a skull, and a deck of cards.

Only the golden scale stood firmly upright, while a stack of cards rested quietly beside it.

At a single glance, Yu Ming felt so irritated that he almost laughed.

Bang!

Tap, tap, tap.

The endlessly echoing tremors and chaotic footsteps felt as though they were stomping on his heart, every step causing sharp pain.

"So, can this scale turn into holy armor that I wear? Can this bracer turn into gauntlets? Or am I supposed to save the world by playing cards...?"

He had originally meant it sarcastically, but once the words reached his lips, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

"Save the world by playing cards."

That... might actually work?

Forget that strange dream—even the things appearing before him now seemed somewhat familiar.

"Cards, a scale..."

What had that guy called this thing again?

"Millennium Scale... Millennium Items?!"

He leaped out of bed and scrambled toward the table.

There, the abyssal vortex pattern on the backs of the cards jolted his mind and dragged a term out of his memories.

"Duel Monsters."

What would the matching device look like?

Yu Ming slowly shifted his gaze toward that flash of white.

His trembling hands picked up the bracer. After he put it on, a sharp blade-like device unfolded.

It looked like a weapon, but several details still revealed its true nature.

The vicious skull was the deck slot, while the sharp "bone blades," thick near the base and gradually thinning outward, were the Spell and Trap Zones and Monster Zones.

"A Duel Disk?"

As those elements came together, the nature and name of this world became incomparably clear.

"Yu-Gi-Oh!?"

Damn!