The Millennium Puzzle.
This should be the final piece of the puzzle that makes up the elements of her transmigration.
*[That Millennium Puzzle—clearly no ordinary toy—definitely holds a major secret.
Back then, I received a pile of unidentified parts with no instructions, yet without giving it much thought, I somehow assembled it effortlessly.
I remember my friend saying he'd spent an entire month working on his with zero progress… but I finished mine in just… eight minutes.]*
Fragments of her conversation with her childhood friend and scenes of her piecing the puzzle together flashed through her mind. Thanks to this body, her memories were as vivid and detailed as a high-definition film.
*[I can't believe I didn't notice how strange that was. A set of dozens of irregular pieces with no manual—and yet I didn't make a single mistake.
Now it seems clear that the Millennium Puzzle—or something else within it—was guiding me through the assembly.]*
With that thought, Jin You Ling once again sank her consciousness inward.
This time, with a clear goal in mind, the golden Millennium Puzzle emerged from the depths of her soul as she called to it.
With a thought, she manifested it before her chest. Holding the inverted pyramid-shaped puzzle in both hands, she examined it carefully.
Hmm… The size, color, and every detail were identical to the one in the anime. Its golden surface gleamed like metal, but it didn't feel heavy. The four sides were flawless—no seams, no casting marks—it looked as though it had been formed naturally, a single perfect piece.
The only anomaly was the "Eye of Sijadus" engraved on the front. Its pupil was pitch-black—like a bottomless abyss.
[I remember the pupil being gold before…]
Without much hesitation—habit guiding her actions—she closed her eyes and once again reached her consciousness inside.
A soft ding~ rang out.
A faint light flashed, and Jin You Ling opened her eyes again.
What met her gaze was exactly what she expected: a scene identical to the one in the anime—countless doors and twisting staircases interlocking in impossible ways, forming a bizarre inner space within the Puzzle.
She rested her hand on the door directly in front of her—the only white door among the many black ones surrounding her.
The moment her hand touched the handle, she knew instinctively: this was her own "Soul Room."
With a gentle push, the door opened.
The inside was completely empty—no nameless Pharaoh, no Shadi wandering around with two Millennium Items. It was an endless expanse of pure white.
Soft white light filled the space, reminiscent of the "Hyperbolic Time Chamber" from Dragon Ball.
[I wonder if I can bring things from the outside world in here. If so, this could serve as a personal storage space.]
The golden figure standing amid the pure white mused silently.
Since she already knew this was her personal domain, there was no need for further exploration. She didn't linger; instead, she exited the white room and turned toward one of the black doors.
There were many. The nearest was located up a staircase to her left.
Its surface was so dark that it reflected no light, the blackness seeming to spill down the steps below it.
Suppressing the faint unease rising in her chest, Jin You Ling climbed the stairs steadily toward that abyssal door.
When she drew closer, she realized the door itself wasn't black—it was covered in a thick layer of mist-like darkness.
The fog looked as though darkness itself had been condensed into a tangible form, instinctively repelling anyone who approached.
Ignoring the unease, Jin You Ling placed her hand on the handle and tried to open it as she had before.
This time, however, she felt unprecedented resistance. The black mist was sealing the door shut.
With no other choice, she began channeling divine power to disperse the fog.
Golden flames flared from her hand, climbing up her forearm, driving back the darkness around the handle—barely.
It worked, but only slightly—and at great cost. The black fog had no offensive nature, but its persistence was terrifying.
Just as her strength began to wane and she was about to give up, a sliver of light leaked from behind the door—she had finally forced it open, just a crack.
The gap was too narrow to see through, so she switched from sight to pure consciousness. In this space, her awareness was far more effective than her senses.
But unexpectedly, her probing consciousness hit another barrier.
The obstruction was immense—like a chick trying to fly against a hurricane, she couldn't even move her wings.
The truth she sought was just beyond, and unwilling to give up, she used her last resort: she summoned a trace of the divine power of Holactie, the Creator of Light, wrapping her consciousness in it as she reached forward once more.
This time, the barrier dissolved like mist, and at last—the scene behind the door was revealed to her mind.
A world.
Yes, beyond that door lay an entirely different world—a realm of Duel Spirits.
She even recognized the sprites darting through the forest below: fairytale beasts.
But before she could look further, an overwhelming fatigue swept through her—her divine power was spent.
Transforming the Winged Dragon's flame into Holactie's light was an incredibly difficult process. Though the two shared the same essence, their ranks differed greatly. With her current strength, maintaining it for even a few seconds was her limit.
The mental strain of crossing between worlds was also far beyond expectation. Given her current form, exhaustion—either physical or mental—should have been impossible.
Yet merely peering past that world's barrier left her consciousness reeling.
[Looks like this will take some planning…]
Withdrawing from the Millennium Puzzle's inner realm, Jin You Ling rubbed her temples, trying to soothe the weariness clouding her mind.
[That settles the matter of "that side" for now.]
After several minutes of rest, she finally stood and surveyed her surroundings, ready to consider "this side" instead.
First question—the one she had been avoiding all along: Where exactly is this place?
…
[One thing's for sure—this isn't Earth. At least, not the Earth I knew.]
Gazing at the towering, radish-shaped trees—dozens of meters tall—she made her initial assessment.
Then she tilted her head back to check the sky. [Hmm… The number and size of the suns seem fine. Hopefully the moon's the same.]
Her gaze dropped to the sea.
[The water's blue, so this world can't be too different from Earth. Though… this should be the sea, right? Why don't I feel any ocean breeze?]
That was when she noticed something truly off. Since waking up, she hadn't felt the slightest trace of wind. The forest was utterly silent—no birds, no animals, not even insects.
Even a true deserted island should show some signs of life.
And yet, this place—with its lush forests—was dead still. It should have formed an ecosystem long ago, but there was nothing.
[Strange. Well, I'll look around first. Hopefully I'll run into some intelligent beings… preferably humanoid ones.]
With that thought, Jin You Ling picked up the two tiny spirit companions—one red, one blue, like little fluffy balls—and began walking along the shoreline, leaving the massive crater they had landed in far behind.
As the morning chill faded, the trio's long shadows gradually shrank beneath their feet, merging into one as the sun rose higher.
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