Yun Jianyue got home after working overtime; it was already 10:00 PM. She lay exhausted on her bed and didn’t open her phone until much later. 

The game icon—two crossed swords—appeared on her phone’s home screen.

A month ago, an app called “Card Game” suddenly appeared on her phone, even though she had no memory of downloading it. The moment she tapped on the game, her consciousness seemed to be pulled into another world—a vibrant, exhilarating, and mysterious world of battle card games. When the game ended, she was abruptly snapped back to reality, yet she remained dazed for a long time afterward.

What on earth was going on? A holographic game? A dimensional shift? Or had she finally gone insane from working too hard? 

Over the course of that month, Yun Jianyue couldn’t find a single trace of this card game online, nor could she reveal any information about it to the outside world—it was as if a mysterious force were distorting her spoken words, typed text, and screenshots into something else.

She went for a psychiatric evaluation and underwent a full physical exam, but the reports actually showed that her mental and physical health were much better than during her previous periods of high-intensity work.

Perhaps it was because whenever she won a game, Yun Jianyue would return to reality feeling completely refreshed and full of energy; even after staying up all night, she could work the next day efficiently.

Conversely, whenever she lost a game, she would be listless; even after catching up on eight or nine hours of sleep, she would still wake up feeling lethargic.

But ever since Yun Jianyue started working, she hasn’t had any energy at all.

For a long time, she would stay up late out of a sense of revenge after work, often until three or four in the morning, and then buy a cup of coffee the next morning just to keep going. 

Her body had sent her warning signs, but she couldn’t control her urge to stay up late.

But ever since she started playing this game, whenever she lost a round, she’d fall into a deep sleep immediately, only to be woken up by her work schedule the next day—and she’d even sleep through the night without dreams, frequent awakenings, nighttime trips to the bathroom, or insomnia. 

After discovering the benefits of this game, it has become a habit for Yun Jianyue to play a round every day as soon as she gets home.

Right now, Yun Jianyue expertly tapped open the app and selected Arena Mode. In an instant, her consciousness was transported into a massive ancient Roman colosseum.

Noisy. Boiling with excitement.

Layers upon layers of blurry figures sat in the stands, their cheers rising and falling in waves.

She stood inside a transparent square box. Directly across from her, two meters away, was another transparent box, from which a young male player emerged.

As soon as he appeared, the player began bouncing up and down inside his box, frantically waving at the spectators in the stands. If it weren’t for the transparent box confining him, he looked as if he’d love to run two laps around the arena.

“He’s full of energy. You can tell at a glance he’s never held down a job,” thought Yun Jianyue.

【Current Arena Tier: bronze tier】

【Players in This Match: Yun Jianyue vs. “Take My Beatings”】 A cold, mechanical voice rang out throughout the arena.

A row of red numbers simultaneously appeared at the top of both players’ transparent boxes: “0/1000.” The number 1,000 represents the number of viewers for this event.

The “0” represents the player’s current audience support score.

【Please draw your card】

Two options appeared on the transparent box in front of you:

【Draw from Existing Deck】 

【Draw from Random Card Pool】

Yun Jianyue had only recently started playing this game, so she didn’t have a single card in her deck.

In this game, collecting cards doesn’t require in-app purchases—it’s purely a matter of grinding. Players must frantically boost a card’s affinity through various channels; only when the affinity is high enough can they invite the card to join their deck.

Furthermore, players must genuinely admire the cards—no insincere gestures allowed.

Yun Jianyue had been working for three years; her heart had grown cold, and all she could offer was a thin veneer of social pretense.

【You have chosen to draw from the random card pool】

Countless specks of light appeared on the inner walls of the transparent box, resembling a vast starry sky. Countless specks of light flew out of the box, transforming into a high-speed vortex.

Yun Jianyue stood at the center of the vortex, surrounded by countless phantom card images flashing rapidly in succession—so fast that she couldn’t make out a single one. An excited shout came from the male player in the distance.

Yun Jianyue looked up and saw her opponent holding aloft a card that glowed blue. As the male player waved his hand, the card resembled a shooting star trailing a blue tail.

A giant “R” immediately appeared on the transparent box. The red number directly above the box instantly changed to:

“609/1000”

This means that more than half of the viewers directly bet on “Take My Beatings,” without even watching Yun Jianyue’s gacha results.

After all, an R card can completely dominate the bronze tier; theoretically, the highest-tier card you can draw in the bronze tier is an R card, and the drop rate is very low.

As if sensing Yun Jianyue’s gaze, the male player across from her grinned and said, “Auntie, do you know which deck this card comes from?”

“The dark deck!” The male player laughed so hard he was doubled over, looking every bit the sure winner. Cards from the dark deck are of extremely high quality—the cream of the crop among cards of the same tier. In the stands all around, the spectators—whose faces were obscured—murmured in a buzz of discussion.

Why do I have to deal with an idiot even after work? 

Yun Jianyue reached into the vortex with a blank expression.

A tingling sensation like an electric current and a slight resistance ran through her fingertips, as if she were reaching into a slime. The swirling vortex froze the moment Yun Jianyue grasped the phantom image of a card.

Countless gazes, like spotlights, were fixed on Yun Jianyue—or rather, on her hand.

With no expectations, Yun Jianyue pulled the card out of the vortex. In that instant, all the card phantoms dissolved into specks of light, leaving only a soft white trail of light trailing behind the card as it was dragged through the air.

The entire transparent box began to vibrate with a “hum,” and a giant “N” appeared on the inner wall of the box where Yun Jianyue stood. Yun Jianyue flipped the card over; it looked very simple, featuring a black silhouette of a figure accompanied by a white question mark.

This was a mark found only on cards that had never been drawn by a player.

A stream of real-time comments from the audience floated past the box she was in:

【It’s a brand-new card!】

【That’s completely hopeless—new cards already have low combat experience, and the opponent has an R card】

As Yun Jianyue’s draw result appeared, the number above the opposing player’s head refreshed rapidly:

713/1000

877/1000

949/1000

……

【Audience Voting Ended】

【Yun Jianyue: 1 vote, Take My Beatings: 999 votes】

【Countdown in Progress】

The male player held the card between two fingers and said excitedly, “Demon·Violet! Come forth—” He flung the R card from between his fingers with a sudden flick.

The card spun through the air and suddenly exploded mid-flight, sending purple arcs of electricity spreading out like a spider’s web. A towering male demon emerged from the blue halo.

His hooves clattered against the stone floor, producing a dull thud. With a hand covered in purple veins pressed against the back of his neck, Violet craned his neck twice, and a pair of curved horns sprouted from the top of his forehead, crackling with tiny purple arcs of electricity.

A long health bar appeared above his head:

【Health: 638/638】

As soon as this R card appeared, a dense barrage of comments flooded the screen, most of them regarding the health bar—it’s not very common to see an R card with such a long health bar.

Almost at the same moment, Yun Jianyue also flung the card in her hand.

The white card spun through the air, transforming into a soft white halo. The light gathered and coalesced into a slender, elegant human figure.

He wore a dark red cloak; the hood concealed most of his face, revealing only a slightly pointed chin, from which a few strands of soft golden hair spilled out, seeming to shimmer faintly.

The health bar above his head was so short it was barely visible at first glance:

【Health: 10/10】 

In an instant, the comment stream on Yun Jianyue’s side surged:

【Damn, this health bar over here is even rarer!】

【I’ve seen some bad players, but never one this bad】

【I almost had to use a magnifying glass to see his health bar】

【What’s even worth watching in this match? Just take him out instantly.】

Violet paused mid-twist of his neck, his purple eyes staring disdainfully at the health bar above Tang Mian’s head: “Is that it?”

A cold, mechanical voice announced:

【Battle begins】

Violet dismissively held up a single finger, a purple arc of electricity coiling around it like a small snake.

“Damn it! Wait! Don’t hit that loser yet!” the male player suddenly shouted. 

If that worthless N card got killed right away, then the awesome R card he’d just drawn would disappear immediately upon completing the quest. That wouldn’t do! His R card experience would be way too short!

Listening to that player’s bossy, nagging voice, a wave of irritation washed over Violet. The electric arc retreated, as if tiny blue-purple veins had hidden back into his skin.

A malicious smirk spread across the male player’s face as he pointed directly at Yun Jianyue across from him. “Go! Break her turtle shell for me!” 

What the hell? She’s acting all high and mighty the moment she logs in—what’s she trying to pull?

Yun Jianyue’s expression darkened.

The transparent box she was in—a player’s protective shield—prevented her from being caught in the crossfire of the card battle.

If she loses a Card Duel, she’ll simply fall asleep in real life, but if her transparent box is shattered, she’ll suffer from a severe migraine the next day—one that even ibuprofen can’t relieve.

“Hello, I’m Tang Mian.” A voice as clear and crisp as spring water rang out. Coming immediately after the male player’s raucous voice, his already melodious tone was suddenly set off to sound like music from the heavens.

All three people present froze for a moment.

【He’s so polite! This is the first time I’ve seen such a well-behaved card.】

【Stop all that chatter—just get the fight started already】

A beautiful, snow-white hand emerged from behind the cloak and gently grasped the finger Violet had extended.

His frame was so small and delicate, while the demon across from him was exceptionally tall, that his outstretched hand could barely wrap around that single finger. He gave it a gentle shake twice, completing a handshake.

This friendly gesture was performed so naturally that Violet didn’t even have time to react.

Or rather, all his senses were focused on that soft, delicate hand. In his limited experience, he had never touched anything so soft—not a single callus in sight.

When that hand gently let go, Violet’s finger still remained extended, and a tingling sensation, like a fine electric current, lingered on his hand.

“If you have a problem, take it out on me—don’t hurt my player,” Tang Mian pleaded. “But since this is my first time fighting too, could you go easy on me for a bit?”