Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Invasion Mechanism and Shen Sui’s Wild Fantasies
[Isabella stood on the peak of Black Mountain, watching the Sun City bathed in sunlight in the distance, the main city of the Daylight Church.]
["Claude Modena." Isabella slowly looked at you, "Where did you hear that name?"]
[She was very puzzled. For the past few years, to prevent visitors from the Otherworld from harming the Dawn Continent, she had always kept you tightly bound by her side.]
[Isabella played with the ruby in her hand, not knowing when such a gem appeared in her possession.]
[You answered the question truthfully.]
["A friend in reality? How interesting. On the Dawn Continent, aside from him, no one knows about this." Isabella slowly turned around, her eyes burning as she stared at yours, "I think I know where he went. No wonder Vivian and Qishala made such choices."]
[Isabella came before you, and the magic confinement prevented you from moving at all.]
[Her soft and enchanting lips gently brushed against your ear: "Such a tantalizing taste, I almost want to devour you whole..."]
[You remained unmoved.]
[Isabella abandoned her invasive actions, sighed, and softly murmured: "Your will is indeed solid; if only you were a more fragile spirit."]
[Ding! You have obtained a Spell Card: Isabella’s Covetousness]
[Ding! You have obtained a Spell Card: Spiritual Enchantment]
...
...
"I say..." Shen Sui sat in the passenger seat beside Xinyuan Tanchun, watching him drive, "Are you really okay? You look quite unwell today."
"I don’t know either." Xinyuan Tanchun replied, his heart still lingering in fear, "I conveyed those words to Isabella last night as you instructed. She said some bizarre things and then used magic to bind me, using some strange spells on me."
"And that’s what happened?" Shen Sui was speechless, "Even in a horror novel, you wouldn’t be this scared, right? Moreover, Isabella doesn’t use such terrifying illusion techniques."
"You don’t understand." Xinyuan Tanchun shivered, "It’s a very unsettling feeling, as if something wants to emerge using my body. And at that time, I felt as if Isabella’s spells were genuinely aimed at me, which had never happened before."
Shen Sui’s thoughts raced, and he quickly asked: "Has any Life Card Master encountered similar situations before?"
"I’ve never heard of it, or do you think I would be this scared otherwise?" Xinyuan Tanchun rolled his eyes.
Shen Sui fell silent, contemplating the invasion mechanism.
On the day he sensed that the invasion mechanism also existed in reality, he once searched online to see if such mechanisms existed in other Soul Card Worlds, only to find that the Dawn Continent seemed to be the only place with a clearly defined invasion mechanism.
In-game, to invade another player’s game, one needs to jump through the same NPC.
According to the developers, the same NPC in "Dawn Continent" is essentially the projection of the same entity in different worlds, making them essentially the same person. When a player invades another save, they are essentially attaching to an NPC in their own world and then using it as a springboard to jump to the same NPC in another world to complete the invasion.
If it were in the past, Shen Sui would merely regard this as a setting.
But when this happened in reality, it brought forth something truly terrifying.
Who exactly is the character controlled by the Life Card Master in the Soul Card World?
"Speaking of which, when you draw Soul Cards, how do you create characters in the Soul Card World?" Shen Sui suddenly asked.
Xinyuan Tanchun stopped the car and waited for the red light. Hearing Shen Sui’s question, he replied somewhat oddly, "Haven’t you created a character?"
Ah... I’m a bit different.
Shen Sui didn’t answer, and Xinyuan Tanchun didn’t mind, casually explaining to Shen Sui.
Although it’s a setting, what the Life Card Master can control amounts to clothing, personality, and appearance. The profession, status, and relationships of the character controlled by the Life Card Master in the Soul Card World are predetermined. So, the first thing a Life Card Master often does is to meet their Soul Card.
In other words, the character controlled by the Life Card Master already exists within the Soul Card World.
If the Soul Card World truly exists, how is this control achieved?
Shen Sui suddenly had a thought: What if the Life Card Master controls themself in the Soul Card World?
If this question were extended further, Shen Sui had many fearful thoughts.
For example, if they are all actually oneself, could one switch their consciousness to the Dawn Continent?
For instance, if they are all actually oneself, could one use Claude’s powers in reality?
Wouldn’t that give me free rein?
Shen Sui instinctively felt a desire to act freely and dominantly, but he quickly suppressed this urge.
This matter hasn’t taken shape yet; I cannot let desire cloud my vision.
"You seem rather strange today." Xinyuan Tanchun glanced at Shen Sui, "Looking somewhat restless. Are you nervous? There’s no need to be; the first match of the Ranking Tournament is just to test the waters. Even if you lose, there are four more matches."
"I wouldn’t be nervous over a first-tier Life Card Master," Shen Sui replied.
"Tch, I don’t believe you." Xinyuan Tanchun retorted.
While speaking, they reached their destination.
After parking the car, Shen Sui got out.
"Wow, this place is huge." Shen Sui admired the massive building with genuine awe.
The gigantic arena lay sprawling like a behemoth in the prime real estate of Modu City Center, its full glass facade reflecting the sunlight, with elegant curves giving this Duel Training Hall an unexpectedly graceful feel.
If architecture could be personified, the venue before them would likely be a stunning beauty.
"This is Modu’s largest Duel Training Hall, of course, it’s big," Xinyuan Tanchun explained.
The Duel Training Hall is where Life Card Masters typically practice their duels. You can arrange duels with friends here or find suitable opponents for dueling.
Although the Dueling Device is designed to facilitate dueling anytime, anywhere, occasionally, you might see people dueling in a similar manner by the roadside.
But just like you can play badminton on the roadside, some people still prefer to play in professional venues, and likewise, the professional Duel Training Hall offers a vastly different dueling experience—a tournament-level experience that maximizes immersion.
This is also a reason why the world hasn’t developed robust online dueling capabilities; screen effects just can’t match the real experience.
"Alright, let’s find the people from the Exploration Bureau," Xinyuan Tanchun said to Shen Sui after registering, "They should have arrived, along with your opponent."
Shen Sui suddenly thought of another benefit of dueling in reality: If the duel becomes frustrating, you can immediately resolve it offline face-to-face.