**Chapter 1: A Hope Player Arrives at the Shop**
A card shop in a certain city in Huaguo.
The owner was idly watching the counter, while behind him, duelists were sparring.
Suddenly, a powerful voice reached the owner's ears.
"I overlay Utopia Onomatopoeia and Zubababancho - Gagagacoat!"
"Xyz Summon! Arise! Warrior of Hope! Number 39: Hope!"
"Next, I directly overlay this card on Hope! Rank-Up Xyz Change!"
"Arise! Number S39: Hope the Lightning!"
"Next, I equip ZW - Tornado Bringer to Hope the Lightning!"
"This card increases Hope the Lightning's attack points by 1300! Furthermore, the opponent cannot target the equipped monster with card effects!"
"And then this! ZW - Lightning Blade!"
"This card increases Hope the Lightning's attack points by 1200, and while this card is equipped, ZW - monsters on the field cannot be destroyed!"
"It's not over yet! Next is this! ZW - Unicorn Spear!"
"This card increases Hope the Lightning's attack points by 1900! Furthermore, it can negate the effects of monsters that battle the equipped monster!"
Number S39: Hope the Lightning ATK: 2500 → 3800 → 5000 → 6900
"And with that, I end my turn!"
"Wow! He's so full of duelist's spirit. I'll go take a look." The owner said, stepping out from behind the counter and walking towards the tables in the back.
...
Just a few steps away, the owner quickly reached the table and glanced at the tabletop.
Seven cards lay quietly in the Graveyard, and a powerful monster stood on the field.
Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju ATK: 2200
The owner of this monster looked utterly crestfallen, while the opponent slowly played a card.
"Normal Summon Cyber Dragon, any response...?"
"Oh, right, you have no cards left, huh? Then I'll continue my combo. Cyber Dragon's effect, Special Summon from the Deck..."
...
That evening, Liu Hao walked home in a daze. He was that duelist whose spirit had been numbed. After an entire afternoon of having his monsters tributed for countless Kaijus, he was completely numb.
When he reached the traffic light, Liu Hao looked up. The green light was on; it was time to cross.
A little girl beside him eagerly bounced and rushed out.
But at that moment, from across the road, a "transmigration express"—a dump truck—came roaring toward them.
"Holy crap!" Liu Hao exclaimed and, without a second thought, rushed out.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Liu Hao groggily woke up.
"Is this the Underworld? I hope my good deed of saving someone before I died will let me be reincarnated into a good life." Liu Hao said, struggling to stand up.
Suddenly, Liu Hao felt something on his left arm. He looked over and saw a small, gold and red box.
"What's this?" Liu Hao asked, puzzled, and pressed the only button on it.
With a click, the small box on his left arm activated. A black, gold-rimmed area popped out in front of him. A card slot opened on the side closer to his palm, the central screen lit up, and the four uppercase letters "DUEL" flashed across it.
"Is this... a Duel Disk?" Liu Hao scratched his head.
Do they duel in the Underworld, too?
At this moment, a voice echoed in Liu Hao's mind.
[Duel King Training System is loading!]
[Loading progress: 20%...]
"I'm not dead? I've been transmigrated? And I even got a system?" Liu Hao's heart leaped with joy.
[Loading progress: 100%]
[Loading complete]
A moment later, after Liu Hao's system finished loading, a voice echoed in his mind once more.
[System loaded. This system aims to cultivate the Host into the strongest duelist. Please, Host, choose your starting deck and initial ace monster.]
[1. Dark Magician Deck, initial ace monster Dark Magician, comes with exclusive Duel Skill: Destiny Draw]
[Destiny Draw: Can only be used once per duel. When the Host is at an absolute disadvantage in a duel, the next draw will allow you to freely choose one card from the remaining cards in your Deck.]
[2. HERO Deck, initial ace monster Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, comes with exclusive Duel Skill: Philosopher's Stone]
[Philosopher's Stone (Temporarily locked): This skill can only be used 3 times in total, and only once per duel. When the Host is at an absolute disadvantage in a duel, the Host can autonomously manifest one Fusion Monster and add it to their Extra Deck. PS: This monster needs to be approved by the system to be usable.]
[3. Junk Deck, initial ace monster Stardust Dragon, comes with exclusive skill: Light of Salvation]
[Light of Salvation: Can only be used once per duel. When the Host is at an absolute disadvantage in a duel, and Stardust Dragon is on the field, you can activate this skill, place one Savior Dragon from outside your Deck on top of your Deck, and add Majestic Star Dragon to your Extra Deck.]
[4. Onomat Deck, initial ace monster Number 39: Hope, comes with exclusive skill: ZEXAL-Change]
[ZEXAL-Change (Temporarily locked): Usable when the Host is at an absolute disadvantage in a duel. Transform into ZEXAL.]
Liu Hao looked at the options before him and fell into deep thought.
"What should I choose? The Dark Magician Deck? The skill is incredibly strong, and maybe I could even play Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon later."
"HERO is also awesome. Although the initial ace monster is a bit lacking, the skill is amazing. Three chances to print a card? I could just find an opportunity to print Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, couldn't I?"
"Then there's the Junk Doppel deck. Explosive combos, Dragon Link plays, and Accel Synchro is just cool as hell!"
After a moment of thought, Liu Hao unhesitatingly tapped his hand on the Onomat Deck.
"Are you kidding me? Xyz people have Xyz souls! This gives me the chance to pilot my own Gundam. Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon and Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer can't compare!"
Moreover, although the system didn't explicitly explain the ZEXAL-Change skill, Liu Hao knew that once he transformed, he would be the strongest duelist. Everything would become inevitable; even his draws would be decided by him.
After making his choice, a complete deck appeared in the card slot of the Duel Disk, and three cards appeared in the Extra Deck slot at his waist.
Liu Hao picked them up, took one look, and immediately cursed aloud, "System, get out here! How am I supposed to play this clunky Onomat deck?!"
"They're all single-archetype Onomat monsters, the supporting spells and traps are all useless, and for the Extra Deck, you only gave me one Hope, one Samurai, and one Cowboy?"
Onomat is a large archetype containing four smaller archetypes: Gagaga, Gogogo, Zubababa, and Dododo. However, many of the key low-level monsters needed for combos have two or more Onomat archetypes. For instance, Zubababancho - Gagagacoat has both the Zubababa and Gagaga archetypes. Some Onomat monsters even contain all four. These monsters are crucial for linking the four smaller archetypes and allowing the Onomat deck to function properly. But this shitty system didn't give him a single one.
[Newbie Gift Pack has arrived. Please check, Host.]
The system ignored Liu Hao's furious cursing and spoke in a flat, electronic voice.
"Open it, quick!" Liu Hao urged.
[Newbie Gift Pack opened. Received two UR Dream Tickets, four SR Dream Tickets, ten Designated Archetype Random Card Packs, one "Number" Xyz Monster draw opportunity, and three regular Xyz Monster draw opportunities.]
...
(end of chapter)