A card universally condemned as "R-rank trash" had transformed into a UR in front of everyone's eyes!
The silence was deafening, followed immediately by a tsunami of hysterical outcries. The prismatic, flowing "UR" floating above Yuan Wu's head was so bright it practically seared the retinas of everyone watching.
Lin Yue's face was ashen, as if her very soul had been sucked out. Her lips trembled, whispering the same words over and over: "Impossible... how can this be... how can an R-card be a UR?!"
Fang Yuqing, her ears still burning from his whisper, took a sharp breath and stepped back. She looked up again, and the stats on the panel before her had undergone a tectonic shift:
[True Name: Yuan Wu (Transformed: Ken Kaneki Form)] [Rank: UR] [Level: 10] [Race: Human/Ghoul] [Estimated Combat Power: ????] [Skills: Kagune Awakening, Regenerative Constitution, Growth Potential, Kagune Rush, Kagune Lash, Centipede Half-Kakuja Form, Dragon Form (Locked)] [Growth Potential: SSS+MAX!] [Hidden Trait: Ever-Changing UR!] [Contract Recommendation: Max Stars!] [System Tip: You have contracted a Spirit who is perfect in every way except for his personality. Just raise him without thinking—you're going to win!!!]
It changed! It really changed!
Fang Yuqing's heart hammered against her ribs so hard it felt like it would leap out. She stared at the UR before her with a sense of utter unreality. She couldn't help but reach out and pinch her own cheek. The sharp sting made her wince, confirming that this wasn't a dream!
This time, she had truly gambled on a miracle and won the jackpot of a lifetime!
"Senior Yuan Wu!"
Before long, the area was packed. Teachers and students swarmed the dais, desperate to catch a glimpse of what a legendary UR actually looked like.
Yuan Wu did not disappoint. Whether it was his devastatingly sharp looks or the mysterious, chilling, and overwhelming aura he radiated, everyone was left in a state of profound shock. He possessed a cold, powerful charisma that no other Spirit could ever hope to match.
In an instant, the crowd's attitude did a complete 180. Every pair of eyes was filled with naked envy and jealousy as they looked at Fang Yuqing.
Especially the freshmen who had witnessed the whole process. Their hearts were filled with a regret so bitter it felt like poison. Who could have guessed that the R-card was telling the truth? He really was the ultimate hidden character of the gacha pool! He turned into a UR the moment the contract was signed! He really could carry his Master to the top!
Fang Yuqing was the last to arrive, yet this heaven-defying opportunity had fallen right into her lap.
But the one drowning in the most agonizing regret was, undoubtedly, Lin Yue. She had officially become the center of mockery—the "Ace of Clowns." After all, she was the one who pulled this character. She was the one who actively abandoned him, allowing Fang Yuqing to swoop in and claim the prize.
Lin Yue's nails dug deep into her palms, but she couldn't feel the pain. She stared at the figure on the stage, her mind breaking as she shook her head in denial.
"Impossible..." "How can this be?!" "How can an R-card turn into a UR!" "My eyes must be playing tricks on me... there must be a glitch in the system..."
She couldn't accept reality. No one could have imagined that the "scruffy youth" from moments ago could transform into this mysterious, cold, and devastatingly handsome warrior in black.
A mountain of remorse threatened to crush Lin Yue. She gritted her teeth so hard they nearly shattered, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. With bloodshot eyes, she began to scream hysterically:
"He's mine!" "He belongs to me!" "He's the character I pulled from the pool! He's my SSR!" "Fang Yuqing, give him back! Sever the contract right now!"
The crowd broke into an uproar. Everyone was disgusted by her shameless, clownish behavior.
Yuan Wu let out a cold sneer, his eyes filled with disdain. This woman had treated him like trash and wanted to watch him die only moments ago, and now she had the face to claim him? It was beyond pathetic.
Fang Yuqing snapped out of her daze. Suppressing her wild joy, she looked down at the woman with a cold, indifferent gaze.
"Lin Yue, everyone here saw you abandon Senior Yuan Wu."
"According to the laws of our country," she said logically, "a discarded Spirit no longer belongs to the original summoner. The ownership goes to the next person who actively forms a contract."
She continued firmly, "As a Spirit-Master, you didn't know how to cherish or respect your Spirit. You were even malicious enough to want to watch him vanish! Do you honestly think I'll give him back to you? You don't even deserve to stand in Senior Yuan Wu's presence!"
Yuan Wu looked at the girl beside him with approval. "I didn't expect you to be so well-spoken, Yuqing," he said coolly.
Hearing that name again, Fang Yuqing bristled. She puffed out her cheeks in protest. "Senior Yuan Wu! I told you, I'm very strong—and please, my name is Yuqing, not 'Yuqing' with that tone!"
She admitted her face was a tiny bit round, but only a little! And yes, certain parts of her were a bit more "grand" than others, but her figure was still very slender!
Yuan Wu: "Alright, Yuqing. Understood, Yuqing."
Fang Yuqing finally understood what the panel meant by "perfect in every way except for his personality." This guy simply didn't listen to a word anyone said!
Watching the UR she had pulled flirting with another woman, Lin Yue felt like she was about to spit blood. Her eyes turned red, and she actually began to cry on the spot. Swallowing her pride completely, she looked at Yuan Wu and pleaded piteously:
"Yuan... Yuan Wu-sama!"
"It was my fault just now! I had eyes but couldn't see! My mind just snapped because of the stress!" She stared at him with a "damsel in distress" look, abandoning every shred of her dignity. "Please, forgive me! Give me one more chance! I promise I'll treat you like an ancestor! I'll give you everything!"
"As long as you come back to me and re-establish the contract, I'll do anything you want!"
The onlookers watched Lin Yue's transformation from a proud noble to a desperate beggar. Their eyes were filled with contempt. They had truly seen the depths of her thick-skinned nature. You're the one who threw him away first, what's the use of crying now?
Yuan Wu didn't even bother talking to her. He gestured to the growing crowd and turned to Fang Yuqing.
"Master, the crowd is getting big. It's getting noisy." "Should we leave? Since I've just arrived in this world, I have many questions to ask."
Fang Yuqing sighed and nodded. She didn't want to linger either. She had picked up a massive treasure, and being too eye-catching wasn't necessarily a good thing. It would inevitably attract people with ill intentions.
If a Spirit-Master died within six months of signing a new contract, the Spirit would return to a masterless state and could be contracted again. Fang Yuqing didn't dare to be careless, even with the power of the Fang family behind her. Some people would risk everything for a UR. A UR was worth a life-and-death gamble.
Seeing that she was being completely ignored, Lin Yue shook with rage. She knew she wouldn't get a kind word from Yuan Wu, so she channeled all her hatred toward Fang Yuqing.
"Fang Yuqing!" "You can't leave!" "This UR is mine! You must return him, or the Lin family will never let this go!"
Lin Yue had gone completely mad. Screaming, she lunged onto the stage, reaching out to grab Fang Yuqing.
However, before she could even touch a hair on the girl's head, she was sent flying by a deep red Kagune. She crashed heavily back into the crowd below.
Lin Yue struggled to crawl back up, looking wretched. She looked up in terror.
The white-haired man stood above her, looking down with a dangerous, chilling gaze.
"Yuqing is my Master now," he said. "If you dare to raise a hand against her again, I won't hold back."
"And for those of you lurking in the shadows..."
Yuan Wu put his hands in his pockets, the four deep-red Kagune on his back twitching, ready to strike. He scanned the surrounding crowd. "I don't know what you're planning, but if you dare to harm my Master, feel free to try... I'll kill you first."
His face was cold and ethereal, his voice carrying an aura of absolute, terrifying power. "After all... your presences feel remarkably weak to me."
The heart-stopping pressure he radiated silenced the entire field. Lin Yue, who had never encountered such a terrifying aura, was too scared to even breathe. She huddled on the ground, trembling, no longer daring to act out. She could only swallow her bitterness.
After those words, the Spirit-Masters and Spirits hiding in the dark, waiting for a chance to strike at Fang Yuqing, suddenly behaved themselves.
The Spirit before them was a legendary UR. He started at Level 10 right out of the gate. And no one knew what kind of heaven-defying skills or mechanics he possessed. Even if he was newly summoned and un-leveled, he was not to be underestimated.
Because in this world, a saying had been passed down for generations:
Below the SR rank, all are but ants. A UR is a being akin to a God!
And Yuan Wu stood at the very apex of that divine hierarchy.