Kian clapped his hands once, his excitement instantly returning.
"Now… let's go and play games in the home theater we created!" he said with a big grin.
Isabella looked at him, a soft smile forming on her lips.But for a moment—just a tiny moment—something else flashed in her aqua-blue eyes.A sharp glint.Possessive.Warm… but a little too intense.
Kian didn't notice it at all.
She stepped closer, her voice gentle.
"Of course, Kian. Whatever you enjoy… I'll enjoy with you."
She took his hand quietly, holding it with a tenderness that bordered on devotion.
Kian blinked but didn't think too much of it."Come on, the theater room is over here!"
He happily pulled her along, already imagining the giant screen, soft couches, and snacks they set up.
Isabella followed him with a loving smile—but her fingers tightened around his hand ever so slightly, as if she never wanted to let go.
Unbeknownst to Kian… he had just gotten himself a yandere girlfriend.
After a few hours, Kian stretched his arms, tired but satisfied.
"Okay, you can live here, Isabella. I'll call you whenever I leave home or go to catch more ghosts," he said, waving his hand as he exited the Shadow Realm.
"Hehe… totally worth it," he laughed to himself.
"This Shadow Realm is the best thing anyone could have."
Kian flopped onto his bed in the real world, smiling.
Suddenly, Coiny spoke.
[Host, don't forget—it has been months since your last Random Trade. The cooldown is over now.]
Kian sat up quickly.
"Oh right! I almost forgot about that."
His eyes drifted to the small Iron Man figurine on his desk.
"Alright then… let's start this."
[Activating Random Trade…]
A bright flash of blue light filled his vision—
DING!
[ Congratulation host on getting a Character Card ]
DING!
[Congratulations, Host, on triggering a 3× Critical!]
[Host now has 3 Character Cards.]
"Character cards? What do they do?" Kian asked, looking at the three different cards, each marked with a large question mark.
"And what was that Critical?" Kian asked.
[Host, every month there is a chance for the Host to trigger a Critical, ranging from 1× to 10×, multiplying the trade rewards the Host receives.]
[As for Character Cards, they can randomly grant one character from anywhere across the multiverse.]
[The Host may then either inherit all of that character's powers and abilities, grant them to someone else, or even summon the character themselves.]
"Summon them… as in real?" Kian asked, sitting on his bed.
[Yes, Host. No matter what fantasies you have they can now be real, those summoned through cards—or even those who receive inherited powers—will become absolutely loyal to the Host.]
Hearing this, Kian frowned.
"You mean they'll unconditionally obey me?" he asked.
[Not unconditionally. They will simply never betray the Host.]
"So what was that about having fantasies come true about?" Kian asked, rolling his eyes.
[I was checking whether my Host is secretly a perverted psycho.]
Kian's lips twitched at the System's response, but he didn't say anything.
"Well… if given the chance, I would select someone like Psylocke in real life," Kian muttered.
[Host, your thoughts are leaking.]
Kian ignored the System as he tapped on the cards.
[Would the Host like to draw a character?]
Kian tapped Yes. The next second, the first card began to glow, then shifted—transforming into a card with an image on it.
"Oh! I know this one. It's Deathstroke," Kian said, surprised.
[Yes, Host. It is Deathstroke from DC.]
Kian nodded, rubbing his hands together.
"Now I'm excited for the next one," he mumbled as he tapped the second card.
This time, it transformed into a Taskmaster card.
"Taskmaster, huh. Another good card… but why are there no hotties?" Kian muttered.
[Host, your thoughts are leaking once again.]
Kian ignored it and tapped the third card.
"Please be a sexy waifu."
[Host, you are no longer even hiding it.]
Kian ignored the System and stared as the card slowly revealed itself.
It was a stunning woman.
Kian froze, eyes widening as he looked at her.
[Talia.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the DC version of Black Widow.]
"Finally," Kian nodded as he stared at the card.
"Alright. I'm summoning Deathstroke and Talia," Kian said, then glanced at the remaining Taskmaster card.
"As for this one… I'll use it for myself. I can grow stronger over time, so I don't need Deathstroke's abilities. It's better to summon him instead. And Talia—of course, I'm summoning her too. But Taskmaster's mimicry ability? Yeah, I definitely want that."
He muttered to himself as he asked the System how to use a card.
The answer came instantly.
Kian crushed the card in his hand, focusing on absorbing it.
The card shattered into light the moment Kian crushed it.
The light rushed into his body.
Kian gasped and fell back onto the bed as his muscles tightened. His vision blurred, and his head felt heavy.
[Taskmaster Character Card absorbed.]
[Mimicry Ability acquired.]
[Combat memory synchronization in progress…]
Images flooded his mind.
Sword fights.
Gun handling.
Hand-to-hand combat.
Dodging, striking, copying movements instantly.
Kian clenched his teeth as the pain slowly faded.
After a few seconds, it stopped.
He sat up, breathing hard.
"…Whoa," he muttered, raising his hand.
Without thinking, he copied a complex knife movement he had never learned before. His hand moved smoothly, perfectly.
"So this is mimicry," Kian said quietly.
[Ability confirmed. Host can now perfectly replicate any physical technique after observing it once.]
Kian smiled.
"Worth it."
He then looked at the two remaining cards floating in front of him.
"Okay," he said, steadying himself.
"Summon Deathstroke."
The card glowed bright orange.
[Summoning in progress…]
A figure appeared in the middle of the room, tall and armored, holding a sword and a gun. One eye was covered by a half mask.
Deathstroke stood still, then looked at Kian.
"…You're the one who summoned me?" he asked calmly.
[Summoned Entity: Deathstroke.]
[Loyalty status: Bound to Host. Betrayal impossible.]
Kian swallowed but nodded.
"Yeah. That would be me."
Deathstroke gave a short nod.
"Understood."