Luo Bai narrowly dodged the mechanical dragon.
A bond forged in life-or-death situations.
He saw clearly that the summoned mechanical wolf and mechanical dragon were connected to Kevins in the sky by a blue shadow line. This shadow line could pass through the lampstand, meaning the summoned monsters were likely not physically controlled.
Having a general idea in mind, Luo Bai reached out and touched the last pure yellow card.
No card image.
Only a string of unintelligible text, thankfully understandable.
Whether it was his imagination or not, he heard the card's voice and breathing, and inexplicably, he read the text aloud sentence by sentence…
Boom!
A powerful storm erupted around Luo Bai, blasting the mechanical dragon and mechanical wolf dozens of meters away.
"By blood, by rage, for power."
"Descend!"
"Unleash endless flames and dark power."
"Destroy oppression, soar, reclaim freedom and light!"
"Hear my call, spread your wings and fly to the heavens, shatter bonds and shackles, unleash your fury, destroy all evil..."
"Descend!"
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Luo Bai's eyes hardened, shattering the card!
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, 2400/2000]
"Boom!"
An unparalleled aura erupted from the shattered crystal card.
The ensuing gale instantly blew everything around it away.
A blue shadow shot out from Luo Bai's hand, like a thin, hair-thin blood-drawing syringe, frantically sucking something from Luo Bai's body.
"Roar!"
A dragon's roar echoed in mid-air, its thunderous sound reverberating throughout the entire dungeon.
The earth shook, and all living beings trembled.
The black dragon spread its enormous wings,
breathing forth flames in a merciless act of destruction.
[Warning, Warning]
Kevins's mechanical helmet beeped, and through the detection lens, a red halo could be seen flashing around the black dragon.
[Target - Red-Eyes Black Dragon - Epic Rank]
[Evacuate]
[Evacuate]
Kevins stared in astonishment at the scene, unable to process the mechanical notification.
"An Epic Rank monster..."
The nightmarish reality filled him with terror.
Caught off guard, locked onto by the black dragon's chilling gaze, his pride instantly vanished.
Luo Bai's body also underwent a transformation. After something within him was drained, the blue shadow began to siphon from his flesh, causing his body to wither away.
"Only one chance to attack."
He gritted his teeth, trembling as he controlled the black dragon, observing the movements of the two mechanical behemoths, finally finding the point where the two beasts and one human met.
"Go, [Black Flame Bullet]!"
The red-eyed black dragon roared, its jaws wide open.
A massive torrent of black flames erupted, the inferno rapidly heating the entire basement. By the time Kevins realized the gravity of the situation, it was too late.
They had once defied power and oppression, yet before the black dragon, they appeared utterly insignificant, awaiting only the judgment and trial of fate.
"Aagh!!!"
The two ancient mechanical monsters, along with Kevins, were instantly melted in the inferno, the screams of the wild beasts echoing across the land.
…
"Now the mission should be complete, right?"
Luo Bai weakly withdrew his control from the black dragon. He was now skin and bones, and had used all three cards given for the mission.
But there was still no notification that the "Survive" quest was complete.
"What exactly does 'survive' mean..."
Luo Bai dragged his weary body aimlessly through the sea of fire. Strange, fiery beasts charged out, only to vanish into nothingness after a few steps.
The black flames didn't harm the caster; standing in the inferno, he felt no enemy could touch him, an overwhelming sense of security enveloping him.
"Isn't this enough to escape..."
Luo Bai murmured weakly.
The black flames spread everywhere, causing continuous explosions on the iron furnace. He walked barefoot on the scorching ground, his strength reaching its limit.
"Huff..."
Luo Bai's breathing became increasingly rapid, his consciousness fading, like a final burst of energy before death; he seemed to be hallucinating.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why it was snowing in the dungeon.
The snowflakes extinguished the black flames, blanketing the earth in white, and a chill ran through his feet.
Not far away...
Beneath the bare, withered tree sat a figure, vaguely resembling a woman with long silver hair, though he couldn't see clearly. Luo Bai, unable to keep his eyes open any longer, felt a faint fragrance waft by, his mind went blank, and he slowly slumped down.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon?... "
[Mission Completed, Program Installing]
The voice indicating mission completion echoed in his mind. Luo Bai's tense nerves relaxed, and exhaustion instantly spread throughout his body:
"Finally... no danger...?"
...
He didn't know how much time had passed, as if he had watched an epic war movie, when Luo Bai suddenly awoke from his dream, straightening his back.
He was astonished to find that all the negative status effects on his body were gone. His hands, feet, muscles, and damaged skin were all healed, and even a new set of clothes had been provided.
Most unbelievably, an electronic bracelet had appeared on his left wrist, the bracelet seemingly embedded in his skin, covering the original numbered tattoo.
"..."
"You're awake."
It was a clear, ethereal voice. Still a little groggy from just waking up, Luo Bai didn't quite catch the first sentence.
When he turned to look at the source of the voice, a young girl was crouching in front of him, her face propped up on her hands, like a curious child, blinking occasionally.
She wore a white gauze dress, with a pale blue ribbon tied around her neck.
Beneath a white hat were striking long silver hair, and her azure eyes were like stars in a snowy night, pure and clear.
Such a pure girl.
Luo Bai was truly stunned, frozen in place, speechless.
"Hmm..." Yi Lan narrowed her eyes, slowly taking half a step forward, cradling his head like a watermelon.
Her hands were slightly cold, as if untouched by worldly concerns.
"Hehehe... Sister, he seems like a complete idiot." She turned to the air and smiled radiantly, her beauty breathtaking.
It was a little scary...
"Sister?" Luo Bai looked around, but couldn't find anyone else.
"Are you really going to hit me?" she asked the air, her face full of innocence and reluctance.
Then...
*Thud!*
So fast!
A palm slapped Luo Bai into the snow.
"Holy crap!!!"
A feeling he'd never experienced before surged through his head, making Luo Bai's heart inexplicably agitated.
But when he angrily pulled himself out of the snow, Yi Lan had vanished, leaving only a few snowflakes.
Three skewers of grilled chicken wings, still steaming hot.
"Is this what pain feels like?"
"Hiss..."
Luo Bai gritted his teeth, gasped, his brows furrowed, and rubbed his head, trying to recall the sensation.
[System Installation Complete]
Just then, a cold, mechanical voice rang in his mind.
[Hello]
A strange wooden door suddenly appeared before him.
"System, you've finally arrived!"
Luo Bai exclaimed with delight, having nearly died several times.
[System?]
[Are you calling me?]
[A very fitting title]
[However, I still hope you can call me System Program]
"Okay, System!"
"What's with this wooden door?"
Luo Bai asked, pointing to the suddenly appearing wooden door.