Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

The deeper they ventured, the more apparent the abnormality of the back mountain's dark environment became.

During the day, when viewed from the academy, the mountain seemed ordinary and unremarkable. But at night, it transformed into a monstrous beast that seemed to devour the past.

Every step forward felt like it was chipping away at one's sanity.

No wonder that background character named 'Ron' had been carried out of the back mountain in a state of mental instability.

An indescribable fear, emanating from the depths of the soul, pressed down on every nerve in the oppressive, boundless darkness.

Coupled with the unusually dim full moon hanging in the sky above, Aisha's sense of foreboding grew stronger and more tangible.

"Ilin-chan, maybe we should go back. This place feels really bad."

Tugging at Ilin's sleeve from behind, Aisha tried to persuade her best friend—that ahead might lie hell, and turning back was the safer option.

However, Ilin's mind was completely focused elsewhere, oblivious to the terrifying, deep darkness surrounding them.

"This is strange. The footprints are gone." Ilin's delicate brows furrowed tightly.

Leading the way, Ilin had been following the footsteps of whoever had entered the back mountain before them.

But abruptly, the footprints disappeared at this spot.

What was even stranger was the way the footprints vanished—it was as if space itself had been severed. The last footprint only showed the back half of a foot.

This bizarre phenomenon made Ilin hesitate, wondering whether to take that next step forward.

What lay ahead? Perhaps nothing would happen.

Or perhaps the worst-case scenario—she would leave behind half a footprint and vanish.

Should she turn back?

No!

A hero can't retreat at the last moment!

Summoning her courage, Ilin took a step forward.

…

Nothing happened.

"Phew, maybe I was overthinking it."

Seeing that nothing had occurred, Ilin felt slightly reassured.

"It seems I was just scaring myself. How embarrassing. Let's keep going, Little Ai."

Reaching back instinctively to grab Aisha's hand, Ilin was horrified to find nothing there.

"No way…"

A primal fear, emanating from the depths of this abnormal space, enveloped Ilin, making even the usually fearless girl nervously swallow before slowly turning around.

Behind her was the same scenery as when she had arrived—except for one glaring difference. Aisha, who had been following her, had inexplicably vanished.

At the same time, from Aisha's perspective, the scenery of the back mountain hadn't changed at all. The only strange thing was that Ilin, who had taken a step forward, had disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Wh-what's going on?!"

The poor girl was so scared she could barely speak.

Stammering and stuttering, Aisha was instantly thrown into a state of panic and helplessness, now alone.

Wait, she wasn't entirely alone.

"Mr. You Ling, are you there? Are you there? Please, please answer me! I'm begging you!"

Aisha's voice was almost pleading. In this terrifying, unknown environment, if she were truly alone, her nerves would undoubtedly snap.

She might end up as the second Ron, driven to mental instability.

"Yes, I'm here."

In that moment, You Ling's calm voice was like a ray of salvation shining into the depths of a dark abyss—a lifeline for her soul, a beacon of hope in despair, so sacred and pure that Aisha couldn't help but burst into tears.

"QwQ Waaahhh!"

Perhaps it was You Ling's presence that slightly freed Aisha from her fear. Her slender legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

"It's so good that you're here, Mr. You Ling. If I were really alone, I might have died on the spot."

"I'm sorry. This is also my fault. If I hadn't said I was interested, you wouldn't have come here."

It was to satisfy You Ling's curiosity about the legendary Three Phantom Lords' cards that Aisha had mustered the courage to follow Ilin to the back mountain.

The safest and most prudent course of action would have been to turn back the moment the Millennium Puzzle reacted upon entering the back mountain.

While the rumors about the Three Phantom Lords were hard to verify, it was certain that this back mountain harbored something very ominous.

But You Ling hadn't spoken up to stop her, and now he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Mr. You Ling, did you see where Ilin-chan went?"

"Don't forget, I see the same things you do."

From You Ling's perspective, Ilin had simply taken a step forward and then inexplicably vanished.

The only difference You Ling and Aisha could sense at that moment was that the Millennium Puzzle, which had been acting up since they entered the back mountain, suddenly stopped when Ilin disappeared.

And along with it, the overwhelming, indescribable pressure also vanished.

"Strange, did Ilin disappear, or were we transported somewhere else?"

"We were transported? Mr. You Ling, what are you talking about?"

"Ahhhhhhh—!"

Just as the two were puzzling over this, a scream—the kind that only comes when someone's life points hit zero in a duel—echoed from the depths of the forest not far away.

It definitely wasn't Ilin's scream. The voice sounded like it belonged to a man.

"Could it be the student Ilin mentioned, the one who entered the back mountain before us? Hurry, Aisha, let's follow!"

"Umm, I'd really like to, Mr. You Ling."

Aisha made a helpless expression, patting her trembling, snow-white legs, which were refusing to cooperate.

"Sorry, I can't stand up anymore."

"Then let me take over."

"Okay."

Aisha nodded obediently.

At a time like this, there was no room for the usual agreement about only handing over her body during duels.

—Soul Swap.

After merging with Aisha's body, You Ling's first sensation was… soft. Everything was so soft.

These legs were so weak that even standing up was a struggle.

It showed just how terrified the poor girl had been.

Aisha secretly sighed in relief: "Thank goodness nothing leaked… otherwise, I'd definitely kill myself."

After adjusting her breathing and calming her mind, You Ling gradually regained strength in her trembling legs.

The moment she stood up, she sprinted toward the direction of the scream.

This was the first time You Ling had run using a girl's body.

Despite the body being lighter, running felt unusually strenuous, which puzzled You Ling.

Fortunately, the source of the scream wasn't far away. After navigating through the sparse forest of the back mountain, You Ling arrived at the scene just in time.

Aisha: "That person… isn't that Mizuki Mu from our class?"

Another first-year student from Fusion Academy, Mizuki Mu, was lying on the ground, his life points having dropped to zero.

Standing before them was a mysterious man cloaked in black, with a golden accessory hanging from his chest—identical to Aisha's Millennium Puzzle.