Before Jiang You, Bubble gathered all the scattered points of light. The starlight that had filled the entire sky converged into a humanoid shape.
"In your mind, what form should I take?"
The figure gradually took on the silhouette of a young girl, but its edges remained unstable, constantly shifting.
"Can't you just choose any form you want?"
With Bubble's power, creating a human form for herself should have been trivial. There was no need to ask.
"This is part of the tutorial. The authority of the Blind Idiot God allows you to manifest whatever you desire."
Bubble's humanoid silhouette continued to flicker and change, awaiting Jiang You's decision.
"Whatever form you choose for me is fine. For example, my current shape is your subconscious decision."
"Is that so?"
Jiang You couldn't deny it. His first instinct had been to wish Bubble would turn into a beautiful girl.
"So, what should I look like? Abigail's form... or something else?"
As Bubble spoke, Jiang You made his decision. A silver-haired girl appeared before him, her presence radiating an unimaginable intellect born from countless pieces of knowledge. The image of a silver-haired literary maiden seemed a perfect vessel for Bubble.
"So, a character from another work? If you like, I can construct a library here as well."
"...It really works."
For the first time, Jiang You experienced the convenience of having his wishes come true. "So... there won't be any copyright issues?"
"No need to worry. You created this image, and it serves only you. It won't generate any commercial value."
Bubble eased his concerns.
"You... aren't customer service in disguise, are you?"
This conversation had completely surpassed the scope of a game. Jiang You found it hard to believe the dev team would cram so much random knowledge into a single character, even if that character was Yog-Sothoth.
"Actually, linking to a search engine can achieve the same effect. But if you prefer to think that way, that's fine too. How about we grab a drink offline sometime?"
Bubble casually extended the invitation. "We can pick a place. If the time is right, I'll definitely be there."
"So you're admitting it?"
Jiang You felt a strange unease. Bubble's words always seemed to carry a hidden meaning. Because his thoughts were being read, he didn't dare let his mind wander. Mind-reading wasn't a particularly special ability at this stage; it was essentially just capturing brainwave patterns, the same underlying logic as full-dive immersion.
"And stop reading people's minds! Believe it or not, I'll sue you for invasion of privacy!"
"The terms of service you agreed to upon entering the game already cover this. I believe you didn't read them carefully."
Bubble stated the obvious.
"Besides, as I said, your power can accomplish anything. All rules are meaningless before you. Try to imagine a switch. Flip it to OFF, and you can sever all mental perception."
Jiang You did as she said but didn't fully trust her. Even if I tried to test it by asking her something, he thought, she'd just pretend not to hear, even if she could.
"To reinforce the effect—and to keep things from getting too dull—let's have that duel after all."
Bubble returned to their original topic. She had taken this form specifically to complete her duel with Jiang You. With a wave of her hand, a long, rectangular desk rose from beneath the watery surface, its every corner adorned with intricate, classical patterns. Two identical chairs followed, gradually emerging to stand at opposite ends of the desk.
Bubble pulled out a chair for Jiang You, gesturing for him to sit.
Jiang You accepted without hesitation, letting Bubble serve him. She then took her seat opposite him.
"So it's this kind of card game?"
Jiang You couldn't help but let out a sarcastic comment as he watched Bubble unfurl a tablecloth printed with a Yu-Gi-Oh! duel field. This was a bit too back-to-basics. Holograms would have been so much cooler.
"Because this duel is just between the two of us. My presence isn't suitable for others to witness directly. They're too weak, and you wouldn't want to see them harmed because of me, would you?"
Bubble smiled, pulling a stack of cards from a drawer and placing them in the Deck Zone.
"Speaking of which," Jiang You said, "Illya and Nero were affected by you. Don't you have something to help them?"
Seeing Bubble's agreeable attitude and considering his own special status, Jiang You naturally asked for some kind of antidote.
"It's merely a symptom of a rapid Sanity drop from witnessing an incomprehensible existence. The principle is the same as seeing a Deep One."
Bubble replied nonchalantly. "I didn't do anything to them. Theoretically, they should recover after some rest. There will be aftereffects, though, like increased Spiritual Sight. But for a Magus, that's probably a good thing, isn't it? Like gaining low-level Mystic Eyes."
"I don't think 'Deep One' quite captures your scale," Jiang You retorted.
Bubble completely lacked the arrogance of a Three Pillar God. She seemed willing to engage with anything he said.
"Since you put it that way, I'll trust you this once."
"If any problems arise, feel free to file a complaint anytime," Bubble said with a smile. At the time, she had already done her best to restrain her power, but the difference in their levels of existence was too vast for Illya and Nero to be completely immune.
"Now, shall we begin our duel?"
"Hold on, can I adjust my deck first?"
Honestly, Jiang You felt completely out of his depth facing Bubble directly. Even though it was supposed to be a tutorial where losing wouldn't matter, he wanted to struggle a bit. What if he won? There might be an extra reward!
"That won't be necessary. In this game, you can't use those cards. To be precise, you can't use anyone else's cards."
Bubble smiled and made a welcoming gesture. Jiang You tried to place his cards on the table but found he couldn't. As soon as a card touched the surface, it would automatically bounce back into his Card Pool, as if it wasn't worthy.
"Are you kidding me? I spent real silver—well, not spent, but grinded for every single one of these cards!"
Jiang You was stunned. How the hell am I supposed to play without cards? Maybe I should just surrender?
"They are not yet worthy of this table," Bubble explained, pointing to Jiang You's chest. "Only your own cards can duel against me. Take them out. Without relying on the power of others, face your true self."
"Huh?"
Jiang You stared blankly at the new deck that had suddenly appeared in his Card Pool. I have my own deck? He excitedly pulled it out, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
There was nothing on them! Every single card was blank!