Adjusting One's Mindset

"What's wrong?"

Yu Ming was startled by the familiar voice.

As his senses, which had been almost numb from the scorching heat, gradually returned, he realized he was sitting at the dining table.

"No, what in the world is this…?"

Just as his thoughts became inexplicably chaotic, he suddenly saw a beautiful black-and-blue butterfly.

It fluttered, seemingly guiding him to look around.

In the corner, an air conditioner hummed softly, bringing a touch of coolness to the sweltering summer day.

On the wall to the left, a flat-screen TV was embedded, playing an anime.

Outside the tightly closed French windows, clothes that had just been washed today were drying on the balcony.

Under the bright sunshine, Yu Ming suddenly snapped awake.

"This is my home? I'm back?"

But just as that thought popped into his head, an inexplicable sense of incongruity welled up in his heart.

"No… it's not."

"The card I have set in my back row is 'Illusionist of Imitation'!"

Suddenly, a sound came from the TV.

Although he couldn't see the entire screen from his angle at the dining table, a quick glance showed a blond man with a confident smile.

And in his hand, a card—a five-star monster card.

"This card can copy a card you've used, and I'm going to copy 'Metalmorph: Magic Reflection Armor'!"

He could picture this scene with his eyes closed: the semi-final match between Joey Wheeler and Keith during the Duelist Kingdom arc.

As a duel near the end of an arc, this match was actually quite exciting in terms of plot arrangement.

However, due to differences in early rules and the discrepancy between real-life issued cards and the original work, some strange phenomena occurred:

Monsters set in the back row as spells, and even descriptions not copying from the graveyard, but copying cards the opponent had used.

DM was indeed a classic, and he still rewatched some episodes from time to time, but some content from the Duelist Kingdom era truly made him cringe.

But perhaps it was precisely because of this that he felt that way?

"What's wrong? You look awful, and your clothes are all tattered."

The voice echoed again.

This time, Yu Ming looked straight ahead and saw a woman looking at him.

"Mom…"

Looking at the woman's gentle yet worried gaze, Yu Ming instinctively spoke, but something felt stuck in his throat.

After a long moment, he gave a wry smile:

"How should I put it, I just took a tumble when I was out…"

"Took a tumble?"

"Yes."

Yu Ming nodded stiffly.

It was laughable; he even felt like a delinquent who had secretly gotten into a fight outside and was now afraid to tell the truth after coming home.

"Well, when I was out earlier, I saw a pit."

"A pit?"

"Yeah, and I didn't think the pit was very big, so I hummed a song, thinking I could just step over it easily."

"And you fell?"

"Yes."

Yu Ming nodded.

"The pit was wider than I thought, and deeper than I thought…"

He couldn't help but scratch his face.

"How should I put it, it hurt quite a bit when I fell."

"Are you angry, then?"

Hearing her words, Yu Ming was startled.

He closed his eyes, trying to search for something.

But in the end…

"Yes, but not much."

"What do you mean?"

Yu Ming simply sighed in response to the question.

"Rather than anger or resentment, I think what I feel more is a sense of shame."

"How so?"

"Because I've always worn rose-tinted glasses, after all."

He couldn't help but close his eyes, sifting through his short memories of transmigration.

"Even though I was always emphasizing the dangers, when real trouble came, I subconsciously let my guard down. Even though my own deck wasn't great, I had the leisure to complain about other people's decks and their builds."

After calming down, he slowly laid bare his inner thoughts.

"Making assumptions about how others would play, oblivious to the danger right in front of me… Thinking about it carefully, even though I've always criticized others for being arrogant, I, who kept nitpicking at character designs, was actually the most arrogant one."

Thinking about it, the biggest problem seemed to lie right there.

"Even though I'd transmigrated, I still subconsciously viewed things from a spectator's perspective. Even though I knew I was in an anime world, I still held onto the superiority of a real-life card player."

At this point, Yu Ming couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Some things were quite difficult for him to admit.

But the facts were laid bare before him, leaving him no choice but to recognize them:

"To put it extremely, I should perhaps be thankful that I was woken up."

"Woken up?"

He pursed his lips, gazing at the woman's gentle smile, which seemed to understand everything.

At this point, there was clearly no need to retract such a slip of the tongue.

Ultimately, only one thing mattered.

"There won't be a next time."

Whether it was a rookie mistake like letting his guard down in the heat of the moment, or an experience like being slapped awake, he truly didn't need a second time.

So…

"Are you leaving?"

Just as Yu Ming stood up, the woman asked.

"Yeah, after all, no matter what, the trouble outside needs to be dealt with."

"Then… is it okay to use that kind of deck?"

Yu Ming paused, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Then…

"It's fine, no problem."

He walked to the entrance, but just as his hand touched the familiar doorknob, he couldn't help but turn back.

Gazing at the seemingly unchanging care and acceptance, he took a deep breath:

"Mom."

"Hmm?"

"I'm heading out."

"Okay, be careful on your way, and remember to come home early."

"Mm…"

Click

Thump

As the door opened and closed, the living room seemed to return to its previous silence.

Looking around, the woman picked up her teacup and took a gentle sip.

Gazing at the distant sunlight, a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you, System."

Dim.

Cold.

Accompanied by a darkness that seemed to swallow even the world itself, Yu Ming felt as if he were swimming in the deep sea, where sunlight couldn't reach.

Perhaps this environment should have stirred an instinctive unease, but Yu Ming felt only a sense of calm and tranquility.

Without needing to do anything, he felt a mysterious force lifting him upwards.

Like surfacing from water, the world welcomed a glimmer of light—though it might not have been so clear or bright.

Heart Room has closed.

At the System's prompt, Yu Ming's eyes still met the somewhat dim, enclosed space.

The duel, too, was far from over.

"Oh, you're still conscious?"

Yu Ming looked toward the voice, and there, directly in front of him, behind the Machine Cannon, the man still stood.

Keith Howard.

He stood with his arms crossed, a mocking expression visible beneath his sunglasses.

"Honestly, at a time like this, it's better to just pass out. At least then you won't have to suffer in this hell."

"You're kidding..."

Yu Ming instinctively opened his mouth, but what followed was a searing heat that burned even his heart, a pain like a blunt blade tearing through flesh.

And in that almost boiling inferno, Yu Ming even felt he could smell burnt flesh.

Perhaps... his internal organs were already charred?

He didn't know for sure, but regardless, he wasn't dead yet.

Not just because of the System's assistance, but also for another reason.

"The duel isn't over yet."