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Lin Qiye watched Merlin—still in his Patrick Star form—sink into deep philosophical reflection about "parting ways in life." Meanwhile, the system notification showing "Treatment Progress: 10%" left him feeling deeply skeptical.
Was this treatment actually working?
The system clearly indicated that progress had increased, yet Merlin remained a giant pink starfish. Even stranger, the legendary archmage was now speaking to him—his supposed "SpongeBob"—about the meaning of life with the tone of someone who had seen through the mysteries of the world.
Still, the gacha reward was real.
Since a draw was available, Lin Qiye decided to claim it first.
The moment he activated the draw, a virtual wheel radiating dense magical aura appeared before him. Ancient light shimmered across its surface as options emerged one after another.
[Summoning Magic Mastery]
[Fire Magic Mastery]
[Spatial Magic Mastery]
[Forbidden Spells]
[Elemental Manipulation]
[Magic Circle Construction]
Each option emitted powerful magical fluctuations.
Lin Qiye couldn't help but marvel at the immense depth of Merlin's magical knowledge. Every ability carried the aura of an archmage who had reached the peak of magical mastery.
Then something caught his attention.
In the corner of the wheel was a small, pitch-black section.
No description.
No text.
Yet it emitted an indescribably unsettling aura.
Lin Qiye took a breath and spun the wheel.
The pointer rotated rapidly, streaking across the various abilities before gradually slowing.
Finally—
It stopped.
[Summoning Magic Mastery]
A massive stream of knowledge surged into Lin Qiye's mind.
Summoning arrays.
Contract techniques.
Methods for cultivating summoned creatures.
Techniques for strengthening summoned entities.
Complex magical theories and practical experience fused together in his consciousness.
In mere seconds, Lin Qiye transformed from someone who knew nothing about summoning magic into a seasoned summoning mage.
The sensation was overwhelming—but deeply satisfying.
He could now even envision the full ritual required to summon powerful magical beasts.
Just as Lin Qiye began organizing this new knowledge, Yang Yi suddenly spoke.
"Kid, since Merlin likes Bikini Bottom so much, want me to take you there?"
His tone sounded as casual as suggesting a trip to an amusement park.
"We could look for the recipe for jellyfish jelly. Maybe even meet the real SpongeBob and Patrick Star."
Lin Qiye's scalp immediately went numb.
The earlier names Yang Yi had mentioned echoed in his mind.
Yellow SpongeBob.
Deep Patrick Star.
Those titles existed only in forbidden texts. Each referred to an unspeakable ancient being.
The mere thought of encountering them personally made his blood run cold.
"Brother Yang! No!"
Lin Qiye waved his hands frantically.
"I have absolutely no interest in jellyfish jelly or jellyfish hunting!"
"Besides, Merlin's condition can be treated slowly! There's no rush!"
He had no intention of provoking ancient cosmic horrors.
Watching his reaction, Yang Yi chuckled.
"Relax. It's actually pretty safe there now."
—
Deep within a twisted Cthulhu universe filled with distorted stars and chaotic laws...
Another Yang Yi—wearing beach shorts and flip-flops—was currently beating up Cthulhu.
The terrifying Great Old One, with its octopus head and bat wings, was being punched repeatedly.
Each strike contained enough force to tear apart reality itself.
Cthulhu's massive body twisted violently with every impact as guttural shrieks escaped its throat.
Finally, Yang Yi stopped.
"Do you submit?"
His fist hovered inches from Cthulhu's face.
The ancient god trembled.
The arrogance and madness in its eyes had vanished.
Faced with total annihilation, the Great Old One finally surrendered.
"I... submit..."
Yang Yi nodded with satisfaction.
He casually pulled out a photo.
It was Squidward.
"Very good."
"From now on, you're Squidward."
He slapped the picture against Cthulhu's face.
"You'll work as a cashier at the Krusty Krab in Bikini Bottom."
"And don't forget the clarinet."
As his words fell, Cthulhu's body began transforming.
Its terrifying form shrank rapidly.
The monstrous octopus head turned cartoonish blue-green.
Seconds later, a perfectly animated Squidward floated in the void.
Yang Yi casually tossed him toward a peaceful underwater town in the distance.
—
In Bikini Bottom...
A yellow sponge—evolved from the unspeakable entity Hastur—was playing with a pink starfish who served as the avatar of another Outer God.
Nearby, a sea snail—once some unknown Evil God—crawled lazily across the ground.
When the newly arrived Squidward saw SpongeBob and Patrick, he immediately struck an annoyed pose.
"Oh no. Those two again."
He sighed dramatically.
—
Back in the Cthulhu universe, Yang Yi sensed something.
He looked toward a distant point in the void and smiled slightly.
"Looks like the Evil God Prison is about to get some new residents."
—
Inside the Asylum for the Gods, Lin Qiye suddenly felt a strange chill.
It felt as though something terrifying had briefly looked at him.
Before he could analyze the feeling, Merlin—still in Patrick Star form—turned toward him.
"SpongeBob, what's wrong?"
His tone was filled with concern.
"Are you sad?"
"No, my friend, don't be sad."
He waved his fleshy arms awkwardly.
"You should be happy for me! Even if we go our separate ways, our friendship will never end!"
"Friendship is eternal!"
"Even if we aren't together, you'll always be my best friend!"
The warmth in Merlin's words made Lin Qiye momentarily forget the uneasy feeling earlier.
Looking at the pink starfish who still retained traces of Merlin's wisdom, a new thought suddenly occurred to him.
Maybe the goal of treatment wasn't to eliminate the Patrick Star personality entirely.
Maybe the two personalities needed to coexist.
Or perhaps Merlin could gradually recover his rationality while still maintaining this form.
Lin Qiye quickly focused on a new idea.
"Patrick," he said carefully, "before we part ways... could you teach me something?"
"Teach you?"
Merlin tilted his head.
"Teach you what?"
Lin Qiye hesitated briefly before saying the word.
"Magic."
Merlin blinked.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Oh! You mean jellyfish hunting techniques!"
"Or the secret Krabby Patty recipe I learned!"
"I know lots of techniques!"
He began bouncing excitedly.
Lin Qiye realized that the word "magic" had been filtered by Merlin's Patrick personality.
He needed another approach.
"What I want to learn," Lin Qiye said carefully, "is how to summon jellyfish."
After all, he had just obtained [Summoning Magic Mastery].
Perhaps this angle would trigger Merlin's memories.
"Summoning jellyfish?"
Merlin's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Oh, that's a very advanced technique."
His tone became unexpectedly solemn.
"First, you need to prepare a special formation..."
As Merlin continued explaining, Lin Qiye slowly widened his eyes in shock.
Despite the ridiculous "jellyfish summoning" terminology, what Merlin was explaining was genuine summoning magic.
Not just ordinary magic.
High-level summoning theory.
In fact, the techniques were even deeper and more complex than the knowledge Lin Qiye had just obtained.