There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Sitting up in a daze, Li Changkong felt like he had just woken from a very long dream.

In the dream, he returned to the summer of his fourth-grade year, embarking on a fantastic adventure while his parents were away.

Of course, this "adventure" mostly consisted of dueling with cards against kids his age, making up card effects on the fly.

They stayed up all night, a group of them huddled around the family’s Subor learning machine, frantically playing games. They beat *Three-Eyed Child* and *Waterborne Contra* over and over again.

Since no one knew the actual effects of the cards, everyone just made stuff up. In the end, whoever was the best bullshitter became the champion.

Those were the days.

Getting up, Li Changkong walked to the window. It was only six o’clock, but the sky was already changing color, and the air wasn’t as hot as before.

’Summer’s almost over.’

The tall and mighty Chansi Yu; Lin Yuyan, as beautiful as a porcelain doll; Xu Hua, who always stuttered; and Ying Kun, who looked trendy but never had enough to eat because his parents were going through a messy divorce...

His master, Song Zhe, who had introduced him to the game; Shorty, with his perpetually mischievous grin...

His first crush was the beautiful woman who lived across the hall. Unfortunately, she moved away at the end of the summer, leaving a young boy heartbroken.

It was as if all these people were frozen in that summer, turned into a faded photograph that would occasionally flutter out, bringing with it a wave of nostalgia.

Leaning on the balcony railing, Li Changkong replayed the dream over and over in his mind. He realized the happiest moment was when they all worked together to defeat the Great Demon King, Chansi Yu, and ended up playing cards by the convenience store his family owned.

Chansi Yu’s Mom ran the store, and she had just gotten a huge, cheap shipment of shrimp crackers and cola. That day, everyone ate snacks until they were sick, and for days afterward, none of them could even look at another shrimp cracker or bottle of cola.

Even now, if he closed his eyes, he could still see that mountain of shrimp crackers and the seemingly endless supply of cola.

Li Changkong smiled softly, a hint of melancholy returning.

After defeating all the champions to become the king of his little town, Li Changkong had been too excited to sleep for several nights.

When his father returned from a business trip, he pestered him until he took him to the provincial capital, ready to show off his skills as the king.

And then... he got absolutely crushed.

In the provincial capital, *Monster King* players followed a complete game structure that a small-town king like him couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

Phases, declarations, fusions—he’d never even heard of such things. The end result was just a brutal beatdown.

After returning home, he started fifth grade and began facing the pressure of junior high entrance exams. His entire card collection was shelved, becoming a memento in a box that seemed like it would never be opened again.

"Those times were still the most fun."

He sighed again. Suddenly, his phone rang. An exasperated voice came through, "Li Changkong, have you left yet?"

"Halfway there."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"My brain has left, but my body hasn’t."

"...Get your ass over here right now, or I’ll kill you! The guest of honor is late for his own celebration party. Have you no shame?!"

"Alright, alright, I’m on my way."

"Hurry up! Chansi Yu, Xu Hua, Ying Kun, Song Zhe, and Shorty are all here!"

"I know!"

Pinning the phone between his ear and shoulder, Li Changkong hastily threw on his clothes and bolted out the door.

But a moment later, he rushed back in to grab his hard-won trophy so they could take pictures with it.

A photograph slipped out from beside the trophy. It showed an ecstatic Li Changkong, holding the trophy aloft and roaring with excitement.

Beside the image was a line of small text: "Commemorating victory in the 7th *Monster King* World Championship."

Li Changkong’s summer was coming to an end.

But a new future was also about to begin.

After leaving the instance, Duan Fei and Jinghong found themselves back in front of the fire door.

The instance settlement screen appeared at that moment.

"Main Quest: Become the Undisputed King. Complete.

The effects of the Pseudo-human Extract have worn off. Your Spirit has increased by 2 points.

Instance Rating: Meritorious Contribution. Abyss Coin reward increased by 100%. You have received 1,000 Abyss Coins.

Item Acquired: [Summoner Badge]"

The badge, which had seemed like a toy, was automatically replaced upon leaving the instance, becoming a genuine Professional Badge.

"Professional Badge, Uncorrupted.

Description: A badge that can only be used after reaching Level 10. It unlocks the new Professional System.

Upon using this item, you will change your Profession to the special Profession, Summoner.

Summoner is a very interesting Profession. You yourself may not possess extraordinary Power, but your Summoned Creatures must.

Your various Skills are all centered around summoning. In instances, you can summon NPCs you have previously encountered who hold a certain degree of favor toward you to fight by your side. They will not truly die, as they are not their real selves. They will only feel as though they had a dream and will gradually forget everything. Of course, it’s also possible they won’t forget; different situations are handled differently.

Additionally, you can perform a Random Summoning of creatures or inanimate objects from various Otherworlds, including but not limited to the Spirit Realm, the Void, and others.

The most important Attribute for a Summoner is Spirit, with Charm and Luck as hidden Attributes. A high Spirit allows Summoned Creatures to remain for longer and also increases their own strength."

After reading the description, Duan Fei found this Skill was about what he had imagined.

Using the badge, Duan Fei felt a rosy glow descend from above, bathing his head in light.

A new panel then appeared—it was the new Profession panel.

After changing Professions, each new Level-up in the Profession will grant a corresponding Attribute bonus.

In addition, you also receive one Professional Skill Point, which can be used to unlock Professional Skills or upgrade them from Beginner to Great Success.

Professional Skills also have ranks beyond Great Success, but becoming a Master or a Grandmaster requires gradual practice and finding the right opportunity.

Furthermore, Skill Points can also be used to unlock or upgrade some general skills, such as [Crowbar Skill], but the cost-effectiveness of doing so is too low to be worthwhile.

After thinking for a moment, Duan Fei realized that obtaining Skill Points was rather difficult. Besides leveling up, the only other way was to use a "Skill Treasure Pearl," an item that had a price but was rarely available on the market.

Therefore, the best strategy was to use Skill Points to unlock Skills, then consciously train them inside instances. There was no need to use Skill Points to force them to Great Success.

After changing his Profession, Duan Fei’s Level became "Summoner · Level 10," and he received one free Skill Point to spend immediately.

A vast number of Professional Skills appeared before him, each with a different effect.

Learning them all was practically impossible. Every player had to choose the build that best suited them from the huge selection of Professional Skills.

Just as Duan Fei finished selecting his Skill, the game system’s voice resounded:

"Greetings, dear players.

The next update for *Abyss* will begin in ten minutes. After this update, the game version will be upgraded to 0.08.

As you may have already discovered, we have added a large number of cards to the game in this version. In the next version, we will enhance the effects of these cards and make the Summoner Profession more powerful.

Complaints about the Summoner being too weak have become mainstream on the forums, but do not worry. We will not abandon any Profession.

This update will last for twenty-four hours. During this time, all players will be forcibly logged out. We will provide a certain amount of compensation to players who are in the middle of an instance.

Finally, we wish you all a pleasant gaming experience."

After hearing the announcement, Jinghong immediately said to Duan Fei, "Perfect timing with the maintenance. Are you free tomorrow? My grandmother wants to meet you."

"I am."

"Great. Log off and get some sleep then. I’ll come pick you up."

"Okay, but don’t talk now. Drink this Pseudo-human Extract and come with me!"

"Why?"

"We’re going to jump into a random instance and scam some compensation out of the system."

Jinghong looked at Duan Fei with exasperation. "When it comes to milking the system, you’re really one of a kind."

"Less talk, more walking. Let’s go."

Grabbing Jinghong’s hand, Duan Fei began to sprint through the underground, searching for a red portal.

Jinghong, meanwhile, squeezed Duan Fei’s hand, feeling that this little post-instance snack was especially delicious.

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