Inside the dorm room.
Just as Bai Shengxue had promised, the accommodations truly lived up to five-star hotel standards—perhaps even exceeded them.
All manner of smart appliances were seamlessly integrated, and the sheer spaciousness of the room made it possible to throw a full-blown party right inside.
But Li You wasn't one to be dazzled by material luxuries. Back in his previous life, all he'd needed as a shut-in was a quiet personal space to function comfortably.
What did catch his interest, however, was the massive VR gaming pod installed by the wall.
At first glance, he'd mistaken it for a futuristic shower stall.
But when he slid it open, he was met with a full neural-link interface—direct brainwave connectivity. The design was strikingly similar to the full-dive setup from the Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS anime, where the protagonist would log into Duel Links using this very kind of tech.
In his past life, he'd read plenty of VR webnovels that described consciousness-linked systems like this. The real deal... was beyond anything fiction had prepared him for.
(Technically, you could still log in to Duel Links without using the pod—but doing so would deprive you of the immersive full-holo experience.)
Now seemed as good a time as any. With over thirty minutes until the entrance banquet, why not get a taste of what it was like to duel with your brain online?
Li You climbed into the gaming pod and followed the newbie startup prompts, securing the neural visor snugly over his head.
And then—
[INTO–THE–VRAINS!!]
The moment he closed his eyes, a sensation of weightlessness flooded him, like falling into a void without end. His neural system disengaged from his body, his senses suspended—as if his soul had left its shell.
But soon, his five senses rebooted.
Only this time, they weren't transmitted through eyes, ears, or skin—but via direct electrical signals pulsing into his brain, simulated with such precision that they felt completely indistinguishable from reality.
Like lucid dreaming... but sharper. Clearer. Controlled.
"Incredible," he murmured. "So this is that so-called black technology..."
When his vision reloaded, he found himself surrounded by a 360-degree circuit-scape—streams of glowing blue data arcing like veins of lightning, forming mysterious sigils around him that thrummed with power beyond comprehension.
Then came a familiar piece of music—dramatic, intense, unmistakably the VRAINS soundtrack.
And before he could soak in the nostalgia, a grid of geometric panels bloomed into view—interlocking squares and arrows pointing in all directions. It was the unmistakable design of a Link Summon field.
One by one, Link Gates began to materialize in the digital space, each one lighting up with a unique pattern. Light surged at their centers, and through them, a parade of Link Monsters emerged—each one iconic in its own right.
Li You spotted dozens of familiar faces:
The round, googly-eyed Link Kuriboh, the sleek Decode Talker with his hollow-blade sword… the infamous Mermail of Phantom Knight builds… and the cyber queen herself, Firewall Dragon.
There was the sprightly I:P Masquerena, and her eternal rival, Knightmare Unicorn...
One after another, they passed before his eyes—a veritable dream parade of monsters in motion.
After the "fireworks show," the digital landscape faded into calm. Streams of code coalesced around him, reconstructing his physical avatar. He now stood in an octagonal lounge-like chamber, the central console glowing softly before him.
A floating interface booted up—functionally similar to a real-world PC.
Then came the familiar AI voice:
[Welcome, new user, to the world of Duel Links! Your brainwave ID has been bound to a new account. Please register your username.]
Time for the classic dilemma—choosing a name.
Li You briefly debated going with something cool or edgy, but then... a name just popped into his head, as if fate had whispered it.
Without hesitation, he typed it in:
"Zarc."
[Confirmed. Username "Zarc" has been registered. Please configure your avatar.]
Time to sculpt his look.
He already had a pretty decent real-life face, if he said so himself, but he tweaked the design a little—went for a flashier hairstyle, something that screamed "main character energy."
[Setup complete. Welcome to the infinite world of cyberspace. May your duels be legendary.]
Li You smirked and tapped the glowing screen.
At once, tidal waves of global data surged in from every direction, rendering as holographic videos and feeds across the interface.
"Hah, this blows scrolling on my old phone out of the water..."
Naturally, the majority of content was duel-related. But there were also plenty of "influencers" churning out everything from strategy guides to reaction streams—just like any Earth-based internet platform.
"Some things never change," he muttered.
Finally, he found the feature he'd come here for:
Online Matchmaking.
Right on cue, his system pinged.
[System Task Unlocked — "The Hidden Dragon Emerges"][Task Objective: Win your first online duel in Duel Links.][Reward: 1x Diamond Card Pack]
Li You grinned.
So there were missions and rewards too?
Without delay, he selected the "Online Matchmaking" option. The system's voice chimed again:
[Would you like to search for an opponent and begin your first Duel?]
"Yes," he replied.
[Very well. As this is your first login, please grant access to your duel disk. This will allow us to scan your decklist and optimize matchmaking. Don't worry—your data is encrypted and protected. We will never share or misuse your personal information.]
[During scanning, we will calculate your rating and match you against an opponent of appropriate skill.]
Li You frowned slightly.
Back in his previous life, he'd been cautious to a fault about data privacy. This kind of "scanning" was functionally no different from handing over your online banking password to a faceless algorithm.
Unsettling, to say the least.
But… he also knew how this game was played. In the modern world, sacrificing privacy for convenience was practically unavoidable.
And "user safety policies"?Yeah, right.
That was a joke even in the old world.
Just then, his system spoke up in his mind:
[Don't worry, Host. You may allow the scan. Your deck data will be shielded under maximum encryption. No one besides you will be able to access it.]
His brow arched.
"Well damn… my system's a beast."
"Permission granted," he said.
[Thank you. Beginning scan...]
His deck data uploaded instantly.
But elsewhere—deep within the datastream of Duel Links—a certain presence had just felt a disturbance.
"…A batch of unregistered cards… all at once?""…What the hell? The deck info is completely sealed?!"
"Impossible! Even I can't read it?"
The entity snarled internally, trying every method in its arsenal to breach the system's defenses. But nothing worked. The firewalls wrapped around the newcomer's data were impenetrable.
"Unacceptable. I have administrator-level access. How the hell is this locked down?!"
"Whoever this is… has permissions beyond what should even exist."
Still, the shadowy figure wasn't entirely in the dark.
"Cross-referencing IP traces… Saint Star Duel Academy, freshman dorm block... Hmph. New student. Top rank. Name: Li You."
"And today, three of his duels went viral. His cards are obscure, but his playstyle... fascinating."
"This isn't some rando. He's a threat."
"…No more data leaks. No premature exposure."
"I'll handle this myself."