Jake locked the main door of the Tabletop Game Mania, and they entered through the side door.

  They passed the front desk, and a series of rooms appeared before them.

  "Which room are they in?" Ethan asked.

  "Don't know..." Mike's voice trailed off as a loud rumbling sound suddenly came from the nearest room.

  "They're in this room," Ethan said, surprised. "What's going on? They're just playing Game King, right? How can it be so loud? Are they fighting?"

  He had played that game as a kid. Wasn't it just like playing cards: you play a card, and I play a card?

  "Let's go see, and we'll know!"

  They walked straight over and gently pushed open the door from which the rumbling sound emanated.

  The moment the door opened, Liam let out a strange cry!

  "Boss, you're done for!"

  "I've already drawn the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

  "My turn! I sacrifice two monsters on the field to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

  The two took a closer look and were immediately stunned.

  The room contained a miniature world, several times smaller than its real-world counterpart.

  Mountains, rivers, villages, and city-states were all present and complete.

  However, this world seemed to have undergone a series of wars, with ruins visible everywhere.

  The spines of mountains had been broken in two by some unknown force.

  Wisps of white steam rose from the dry riverbeds, indicating the recent evaporation of all the water by intense heat.

  The card in the air rapidly enlarged.

  A white dragon broke free from the card. Its outstretched wings blocked out the sun, its sharp fangs and claws gleamed coldly, and a powerful pressure emanated outward, causing everyone's hearts to tremble.

  "Holy crap! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Ethan's eyes widened.

  As the most well-known card in Game King, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon combined impressive looks and strength, making it a treasured card for any kid who was obsessed with Game King back then!

  "What's Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

  Having grown up in the mountains since childhood, Mike didn't have much in common with city kids regarding such games.

  Nevertheless, his heart was as equally shocked as Ethan's.

  Was this scene, reminiscent of a science fiction movie, actually a tabletop game?

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  In his mind, a tabletop game involved three or five friends gathering to play cards at a table.

  It wasn't like this, where one could throw out a card that would transform into a monster, battling another monster summoned by another player in a miniature world.

  "Blue-Eyes White Dragon is..." Ethan hurriedly began to explain.

  "Understood," Mike nodded, now understanding Ethan's excitement.

  He had read a few Doraemon comic books as a child, brought by a teacher who taught in the mountains.

  At that time, he had often imagined possessing Doraemon's fourth-dimensional pocket, which could solve any problem.

  If his childhood dream of owning Doraemon's fourth-dimensional pocket were to materialize, he would likely be as thrilled as Ethan.

  "Haha!"

  "With the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, your monster is vulnerable! Just admit defeat!"

  Liam gazed at the huge, majestic blue dragon before him, feeling an exhilarating sense of joy.

  For the first time, he realized that playing Game King could be so awesome.

  He felt as if he had become a true summoner, able to conjure monsters through cards, and even command the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

  "Damn, I want to play too!" Ethan stared longingly at Liam, who was spiritedly commanding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

  "Hehe!"

  Jake smiled faintly and took out five cards at once, throwing them into the air.

  Five cards?

  "No way!" Liam was stunned and felt a foreboding sense.

  "He threw out five monster cards at the same time... Could it be?" Ethan's eyes lit up, focusing on the five cards floating in the air.

  "Summon the Forbidden One Right Leg!"

  "Summon the Forbidden One Left Leg!"

  ...

  "Summon the Forbidden One Left Arm!"

  Jake's voice echoed throughout the room.

  The five cards bloomed with dazzling light, transforming into a left hand, right hand... left foot!

  Each limb was bound with long chains.

  A pentagram pattern also appeared in the sky.

  Each limb flew to its corresponding position within the pentagram, assembling together.

  A golden giant resembling an ancient pharaoh emerged onto the battlefield.

  "Black... The Forbidden One Exodia!" Liam cried out in frustration, "Boss, you're inhuman! How can you be so lucky!"

  The Forbidden One Exodia is the most powerful monster card in Game King; his mere appearance can end everything.

  "Win for me," Jake said calmly.

  Before he could finish, the Forbidden One Exodia clasped his hands together, condensing them into a dazzling golden orb.

  The orb resembled a blazing sun suspended in the sky, emitting endless scorching light.

  After a moment, the golden giant hurled the orb forward.

  It spun through the air before detonating in a supernova-like explosion, its light so brilliant that it could be seen clearly even from the distant reaches of space.

  The entire room was bathed in its blinding glow.

  A terrifying aura swept across the world below.

  Everything in that world surrendered to this immense power.

  The majestic Blue-Eyes White Dragon under Liam's control melted and evaporated in the face of this aura, disappearing without a trace as if it had never existed.

  After a long moment, the light faded, revealing four bewildered faces.

  "This... this is a tabletop game?!" Mike exclaimed, mouth agape.

  He would have believed them if they said they were filming a science fiction movie!

  "Cool! So freaking cool!" Ethan exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

  *This* was true Game King!

  Now he understood why the Forbidden One Exodia was hailed as the most powerful monster card in Game King!

  He had never experienced such power while simply playing cards.

  The arrival of The Forbidden One Exodia secured Jake's victory.

  A thrilling game of Game King concluded.

  The chairs beneath their feet began to descend, and the floor began to rise, slowly returning the room to its original state.

  "How was it?" Jake asked, stepping out of his chair.

  Ethan gave a thumbs up and praised, "Boss, this is a revolutionary Tabletop Game Mania! Tabletop game fans will definitely go crazy for this!"

  "Boss, it's so much fun!" Liam exclaimed. "Let's play again!"

  "Uh... I'm a little tired. Let's play tomorrow!" Jake replied.

  "No! Play another game with me!" Liam pleaded.

  Mike called out, "Liam, didn't we agree to get dinner?"

  Liam ignored Mike's words, as if he hadn't heard him.

  "Ethan, look at that unreliable Liam, huh..."

  Mike turned to see that Ethan had vanished from his side and was now sitting in a chair.

  "Liam, come on! I'll play with you!" Ethan shouted.

  "Alright!" Liam eagerly took the other chair.

  "These two..." Mike sighed, speechless.

  Well, dinner was certainly off the table.

  He would just have to wait until they had their fill of playing.