GUARDIAN OF THE MARVEL REALM

Earth, in a certain salted fish regiment.

"Hello everyone, I want to seal it."

"Krypton of 1,200 stones, I finally got SSY in the last talisman!!"

"Ah! I'm so excited!"

Then came a series of exclamation marks.

The young man, however, remained unmoved. 1,200 stones had cost him more than $7,000—a sum that could have bought him five super rare servants for a single euro. Desperation nearly consumed him, yet against all odds, the last event's free draw talisman had granted him the prize.

"Congratulations on the shipment."

"Congratulations on the shipment, there should be a red envelope here."

"Congratulations on the shipment, there should be a red envelope here."

"..."

Following the usual group etiquette, a wave of congratulatory messages flooded in.

Among them, some knew the young man well.

"Shen He, you just spent half a month's salary."

"Stop talking… just let me have this one moment of happiness…"

Shen He felt a sharp pang in his chest, as if his heart was bleeding.

A graduate from a prestigious 985 university, a promising programmer just three years into his career, earning nearly ¥20,000 a month—he should have had a bright future ahead. He should have been enjoying life.

And yet, here he was, sinking into this damn game.

Why? Even he couldn't explain.

If he had to name a reason, there was only one:

Loneliness. Emptiness. Coldness.

In a world overflowing with material desires yet devoid of warmth, only his paper wives could bring him solace.

---

Manhattan, New York

The warm spring sunlight bathed the towering skyscrapers of the cosmopolitan city, bringing a touch of warmth to the cold steel and concrete jungle.

Shen He sat on a bench, watching pedestrians rush to work. The relentless rhythm of city life never changed, no matter where you were.

He had once been among them. But now, he sat idly, brain empty, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

—Weird. Something felt… off.

On a massive LED screen mounted on a nearby building, a live broadcast of a Washington Senate hearing played. But Shen He couldn't focus. His eyes were locked onto a particular figure—

A middle-aged man with a mustache.

Tony Stark.

Shen He's heart skipped a beat.

Nuwa Empress! Sanqing Tianzun! What the hell?!

I didn't curse the heavens. I didn't commit any sins. I wasn't struck by lightning. How the hell did I end up here?!

Not just anywhere—the Marvel Universe, a high-risk world where people die like flies!

And before he could process the sheer horror of the situation—

"Hello, dear Master. The Slave Summoning System has been activated. Welcome."

A sweet yet mechanical voice rang in his mind.

Shen He froze.

A system?! Was this some kind of celestial joke?!

His breath quickened. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down. After several deep breaths, he cautiously focused on the translucent screen before him.

A dark blue interface. Several buttons.

Five modules:

Summoning Center

Dungeon Center

Personal Center

Follower Center

Backpack

"System, introduce yourself."

…No response.

"Activate."

…No response.

Shen He tried various commands, but the female voice that had just spoken remained silent.

At least… it wasn't one of those talkative, cute-sounding AI systems.

If there was actually an intelligent being in his head, that would be terrifying.

He opened the Personal Center. A 3D model of himself appeared, displaying his name and "Level 1" in bold. His magic stat? A measly ten points.

The Backpack? Empty.

The Dungeon Center? A single grayed-out button labeled "Dungeon." Not touching that yet.

Finally, he opened the Summoning Center.

A mystical magic circle appeared before him, surrounded by two buttons:

Low-Level Summon

High-Level Summon

Shen He exhaled slowly, digesting the situation.

He had been transported. And he had a system.

This wasn't some random accident. Someone—or something—had orchestrated this.

But whoever was behind this was out of his reach.

So, there was only one thing to do—adapt and thrive.

He thought of his parents back home. A pang of guilt hit him. He could only hope his brother would take care of them.

Now… focus.

Shen He's gaze returned to the Summoning Center, excitement flickering in his eyes.

This interface… this system… it felt familiar.

"Let's start with a low-level summon."

Two new buttons appeared:

Single Draw

Ten Draws

Shen He grinned. No hesitation. Ten draws. Always go big.

The ten-draw button dimmed. The magic circle ignited, filling the room with blinding silver-white light.

One by one, objects emerged:

$1,000 USD

$1,000 USD

$100 USD

Giant Doll x1

Pineapple Bread x2

$500 USD

$2,000 USD

Coffee Pudding x4

Hayate x1

$500 USD

A 20-hour cooldown appeared for another ten-draw attempt. A 2-hour cooldown for single draws.

Everything was stored in his backpack.

No followers, except for a single card labeled "Hayate"—clearly a guaranteed pull.

"Low-tier draws won't get me anything good, but… at least they refresh over time."

Shen He muttered to himself as he examined the transparent card in his hand. A tornado-shaped icon and two Chinese characters: "Wind."

The moment he held it, information flooded his mind:

[Hayate – From the world of Cardcaptor Sakura. The holder may summon Hayate temporarily. Can be transferred to others.]

"…Interesting."

Shen He's excitement grew.

The real world had given him endless fantasies—but no way to touch them.

Now? Now he had access to the impossible.

His old life? Tiresome, repetitive, stagnant.

But this? This was exhilarating.

Time for the real draw.

The High-Level Summon screen appeared. This time, instead of a counter, a glowing golden summoning stone sat beside the button. Ten in total.

"Novice gift packs always give the best pulls! Let's see the reincarnation of the God of Luck at work!"

Eyes wide with anticipation, he slammed the ten-draw button.

A golden light burst from the screen. A heavenly melody rang in his ears.

Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully summoned a five-star super rare servant: Saiki Kusuo!

"…WHAT?!"

Shen He jumped up, eyes bulging.

SAIKI KUSUO?!

Was this instant invincibility?!

But before he could celebrate—

Ding! The follower has rejected your summon. You have ten minutes to try again before the summoning is canceled.

Shen He: "…"

What kind of five-star is this?!