Where the Hell Did You Send Me?

Bones wandered, rotten flesh ran rampant.

Wandering souls drifted, demons wreaked havoc.

This was the hell of the unfortunate, the arena of the wicked.

Abandon redemption, forget forgiveness.

All this forgotten land possessed was endless struggle and slaughter.

Welcome to the eternal land of the undead. Welcome to the "Undying World," ruled by the Necromancer King!

"Things are rough, guys. Please, kind souls, sponsor me fifty bucks so I can buy card packs and enter the Resurrection Tournament."

'Sizzle, sizzle.'

'Crackle.'

Inside the gloomy cave, the campfire burned quietly.

The firelight brought a little warmth, as well as a little sanity to Yu Ming, allowing him to calmly think after that long trek.

Yet after sorting out what he knew about this world, Yu Ming did not feel the slightest bit relieved.

The good news was that he had transmigrated into the world of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. He did not know everything about it, but he at least remembered some things.

The bad news was that the original owner of this body seemed to have already died during the transmigration.

The even worse news was that the original owner had apparently been some kind of fucked-up thing, because he had gone straight to hell after dying.

Once he had sorted out his circumstances, Yu Ming suddenly felt tightness in his chest.

"You must save this world."

Shadi's words still echoed clearly in his mind, but this damn place was beyond absurd.

"Awooo—"

Peering out of the cave, he saw a literal mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

Rotten flesh and skeletons slaughtered one another, while wandering souls danced with demons.

More importantly, Yu Ming recognized these things:

"Skull Servant."

"Vampire Lord."

The creatures whose names Yu Ming could call out wandered about, declaring one thing to him through terrifying howls and endless slaughter:

"Save my ass."

Did this shitty world look like something that could be saved?

This was the "Undying World." Even the scraps of lore from the card art proved that this place was an endless killing ground.

Just seeing those things, which could not even communicate, made Yu Ming feel like he could barely breathe.

Why was it that everyone else transmigrated and happily played cards? They could pull off tricks, scam people, and use their foreknowledge to build good relationships. But he had not only been sent to this godforsaken place—he also had to figure out how to enter the Resurrection Tournament?

There was no one he knew.

There were no good people, either.

Seriously, bro, he could not breathe.

Shadi, you son of a bitch, go find someone else if you have to. I don't want this Millennium Scale anymore!

Though he said that, Yu Ming ultimately did not throw away the golden scale.

In the end, complaining was only complaining.

After venting his emotions, he still had to focus on what was in front of him.

"Anyway, you don't mind if I sort out the current situation again, do you?"

After taking a deep breath, Yu Ming asked.

He turned to look deeper into the cave, where the warm campfire that seemed capable of preserving his sanity burned quietly.

And in the firelight appeared the unruly face of a thug—Keith Howard. This guy was currently Yu Ming's only source of information.

"First, there is an incredibly powerful existence in this world. It is called the Necromancer King."

Perhaps it was a silver lining amid his misfortune. Even though he had fallen into this so-called hell, some things here were not entirely unfamiliar to him.

Just like the simple description in the setting guide, the Undying World was connected to the Necromancer King. But unlike the 'eternal struggle' Yu Ming knew of, the Necromancer King here seemed to have already progressed to the next stage.

"So now, it not only rules the entire Undying World, but has also expanded its influence outward?"

"Yeah. I don't know when it started, either, but this whole shithole is in his hands now."

"Sounds like the standard plot where some Demon King rules the world."

"Sure, but unfortunately, this world doesn't have any brave heroes or champions. There aren't even any kingdoms fighting the Demon King. Everyone's just waiting to die."

Clearly, Keith had played plenty of games too. He could keep up with the conversation.

Yet under the firelight, there was no goodwill on the American thug's face—only a trace of malicious mockery.

Yu Ming ignored it.

"And then, you are currently the only member of a resistance force willing to oppose this 'Demon King.'"

Yes, just as there would always be people dissatisfied with a tyranny that oppressed the entire world when a Demon King ruled it.

When the world became a complete mess, there would always be people who could no longer survive and would band together.

It was just that this particular candidate was rather questionable.

Even Keith himself could barely hold it together.

"Ha, a resistance force."

Keith could not help showing a gloating smile.

"It's just a bunch of weaklings and ambitious schemers huddling together for warmth. If you're expecting someone to step up, I suggest you give up on that idea as soon as possible."

"I see."

Yu Ming nodded expressionlessly. His calm attitude left Keith somewhat disappointed.

"How boring..."

Obviously, this man with a twisted sense of fun had wanted to see something else, but Yu Ming was clearly not going to indulge him.

"Still, no matter what, you are continuing to act. You are even searching for chances to resist the Necromancer King."

"Just getting by."

Keith spoke.

"But you are still doing something."

"Because there's nothing else to do."

"..."

"Listen, kid. If you spend your days here aimlessly wasting away in emptiness, you'll gradually lose your sanity and become one of those rotting ghouls we've seen."

Well, how should he put it? Keith was the kind of bastard who would not take anything in, which made it impossible for Yu Ming to even pour him a little chicken soup to ease the mood.

But at the moment, that did not really matter.

"Then that covers the basic background. What matters now is why you were in a place like that."

"What else could it be? Because I fucking died."

"That's not what I mean."

Keith suddenly dying was not especially surprising. After all, he really had died in the original work.

What Yu Ming cared about now was something else.

"What did you come here for?"

Listening to the wails lingering around them like background music, Yu Ming gradually turned his gaze toward the distance.

Beneath the miasma and dark clouds, the corpse of a dragon was clearly visible. Centered around that dragon, countless bones piled upon one another, forming strange yet massive temple ruins.

That was where they had escaped from earlier, and this was what the people here called it:

"The Crimson Ruins."

Yu Ming narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't show up here for a picnic, did you?"

"I was looking for something."

Keith did not avoid the question.

"Looking for what?"

"Red-Eyes."

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"

"It would be nice if it were just a card, but sadly, it isn't that simple."

Keith shrugged. He too looked out of the cave, staring at the dragon's corpse.

"You can still see it from here. That corpse is the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, dead for a long time now. They say it fell here years ago, and what I'm looking for is its eye."

"The Red-Eyes?"

"Yeah. People here say the reason the Necromancer King has such power today is because he seized one of the Black Dragon's eyes."

Keith stretched, then lay flat on the ground.

"It sounds pretty strange, but here, things that were originally just described on cards seem to have become rare treasures... Tell me, isn't that interesting?"

What else could he say?

"That's how it is."

Yu-Gi-Oh! was just like that.

Once you seriously dug into the lore behind seemingly ordinary boastful flavor text, it could only be described as terrifying.

But...

"The Red-Eyes."

Yu Ming looked at the system interface that only he could see. In Career Mode, the sole title shone brightly:

"Legend of Red-Eyes Undead."

He could probably understand what the main storyline was now.

"You know, kid, there's another interesting legend here."

"What legend?"

"They say that one day, the Red-Eyes will achieve the balance of light and darkness, awaken the sleeping King, and ultimately bring peace and order back to the underworld."

"..."

Where the hell did you send me?

Is this still Yu-Gi-Oh!?