Fang Zheng’s confidence wasn’t without reason. Generally speaking, there are several ways to do card draws in mobile games, with the most common being single draws and ten-packs, and perhaps even friendship draws. But beyond that, there’s a situation that designers must take into account.
After all, in mobile games, top-ups rule. But the problem is that the controlled probability in mobile games is limited. You can’t guarantee that every top-up tycoon will be able to escape Africa and enter Europe. What if someone is born with an African aura, and no matter how much they draw, they can’t get the card they want? What then? Could you really afford to drive away a top-up tycoon who’s finally willing to spend money?
Of course, that’s impossible. But what if the tycoon doesn’t get a five-star and doesn’t want to play anymore?
That’s when a new way to top-up emerges.
That is... Special Summon!
As with many mobile games, in “Dimensional Codex”, there are two types of Dimensional Count: the non-compensatory and the compensatory. The non-compensatory Dimensional Count is what players earn from completing tasks, and the compensatory... is naturally from topping-up.
Special Summon is a way to summon exclusively using compensatory Dimensional Points. Players can perform a ten-pack draw with compensatory Dimensional Points, and a Special Summon will always yield a Gold or Fantasy-grade Soulstone. That’s why Fang Zheng was so oddly confident—topping-up can change your fate!
Generally, Special Summons are only available during events, but Fang Zheng has a test build, so he set it to open once a month. Originally, Fang Zheng had not considered resorting to such a “top-up-esque” method to escape Africa and enter Europe, but now it seems he has no choice but to... Relying on instance-derived Dimensional Points, who knows when he would have enough for a ten-pack.
Of course, Crystal Top-ups were a bit of a challenge too, considering Spirit Crystals weren’t exactly a circulating currency and were hard to collect. Even the many years of Knight Conan’s collection barely amounted to enough for a ten-pack, and if it hadn’t been for the fifty Dimensional Points he got from cleaning up a pack of Black Wolves in Sweetwater Town, he wouldn’t even have enough for a ten-pack now.
“Alright, let’s start. Escape from Africa, change fate with a top-up. Spirits of the earth and sky, may the cute Miss Angel manifest quickly!”
After exchanging 500 Crystal Energy for 100 Dimensional Points, Fang Zheng immediately opened the Dimensional Codex, rubbed his hands together, and made a sincere praying gesture. If there really were deities in this world... Well, there definitely were deities in this world, if they could hear my prayers, please grace me with a workable Archangel! I’m fed up with hiding and not daring to show my face with the Lich King and Queen of Blades!
While praying in his heart, Fang Zheng took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands once more, took a deep breath, and then placed his hand on the Dimensional Codex. The next moment, a dazzling array unfolded before him. Then, ten tiny light points began to rotate around Fang Zheng, picking up speed. As they spun, countless golden photon particles appeared out of thin air, merging into the ten light points and causing them to grow into ten light orbs, and then...
“Boom!”
With a soft sound, the first light orb burst open, revealing a golden pentagonal crystal.
Reinforcement Stone, next!
“Boom!”
The second light orb burst open, containing a silvery-white, spherical crystal ball.
Energy Stone, next!
“Boom boom boom boom boom!!!”
Fang Zheng blasted open seven in a row, all of which were damned Reinforcement Stones or Energy Stones, which was quite frustrating. Luckily, there was the guaranteed Gold, so he patiently clicked on the eighth Soulstone.
“Boom!!”
This time Fang Zheng’s patience finally paid off, as the aura burst apart, and a Soulstone shimmering with golden radiance appeared before him, and to his greater joy, it was imprinted with a pair of wings!
Ha ha ha, my desired Miss Angel is coming!
Seeing this Soulstone, Fang Zheng’s face broke into an excited smile, and then he reached out and grabbed it.
Then, everything transformed.
First, a void appeared before his eyes. At the same time, a deep voice echoed in Fang Zheng’s ear.
“I heard a voice, but I don’t know what it is...”
The scene spun, the void transformed, and a golden, ornate cup appeared before Fang Zheng’s eyes. It wasn’t filled with drink, but with a swirling cosmos. Inside, Fang Zheng felt as if he saw something, yet as if he saw nothing at all.
“I sought answers from the Holy Grail but received no response. However, I knew where the voice came from...”
The scene changed again, the viewer’s perspective descended silently from the Peak of White Clouds, feather-like onto a brand-new continent.
“I arrived at Sanctuary, the world where humans dwell. The souls calling me were not there. I pursued those voices relentlessly, and finally, I understood where they were...”
The next moment, the world began to change, a blood-red sky and shattered earth enveloping the entire view. Looking up, there were countless souls wandering here, emitting painful wails that seemed to narrate their unfortunate fates.
“Souls spiraled and churned. I suddenly understood the truth of mortals. Whether in struggling agony or soaring triumphs, all paths of life inevitably lead to death. This... is wisdom...”
The world grew dimmer, and scenes flashed before Fang Zheng. Among them were brave warriors as well as vile villains. Some were willing to fight for justice until the very last moment, while others succumbed to the temptations of evil, becoming servants of darkness.
“Human souls display tremendous potential, they can be as virtuous and valiant as Angels in heaven, or as vile and cruel as Demons in hell. This free will to choose shouldn’t be granted to them because they are nothing more than flesh and blood, born only to die...”
Soon, everything would vanish. Fang Zheng saw cities burning in fierce flames, and death was omnipresent. Savage Devils slaughtered innocent civilians, and Angels too raised their spears against those who dared to resist them.
“Humans are inherently fallen and don’t deserve the right to choose between good and evil. Neither Angels nor Demons make choices, and that is the truth...”
The world gradually turned pitch black, the icy Wings of Death beginning to spread, overshadowing everything.
“Demons are easy to deal with, but before humans become too powerful, I must exterminate them root and branch. Only in this way can the eternal war end, because... no one can stop death!”
The shattered scenes restored themselves, and Fang Zheng stood dumbfounded in his room, looking at the pure white Soulstone in his hand, glowing with a golden radiance, completely at a loss for words.
Well, the Angel of Death is still an Angel, no problem there!
I have a word MMP! I don’t know whether to say it or not!!
Fang Zheng now had a feeling that he was straying further and further from the path of a big BOSS...
What did I do wrong? Why do things have to be this hard for me?
“Ding!”
Just as Fang Zheng was wordlessly questioning the heavens, suddenly a system prompt sounded in his ear and a line of information appeared before his eyes.
[User has obtained a Soul Summoning Stone]
[Summon Binding initiated]
[User has gained Summon Binding slot: 1]
A Soul Summoning Stone?
Seeing this prompt, Fang Zheng was startled, then quickly turned to look, only to find that behind this Soulstone, in the last two spheres, one burst with an Energy Stone, and the other... was a hexagonal white crystal stone shape, with angel-like wings imprinted on it!
This was a Silver Rank Soul Summoning Stone!
How could there be a Soul Summoning Stone?
Of course, Fang Zheng knew he had designed something called the Soul Summoning Stone, after all, nurturing followers and growing affinity was also a major selling point of top-up mobile games. The Soul Summoning Stone was a special type of Soulstone that players could place in their soul space and then summon to fight alongside them. According to Fang Zheng’s design, these Soul Summoning Stones were supposed to be obtained by players through unlocking story processes in chapter challenges, then acquiring Soul Fragments, and finally piecing them together.
However, considering the nature of the game, these Summoning Soulstones came in different strengths, and there were various ways to match them... It’s just that Fang Zheng didn’t get to finish them before he time-traveled.
So, from which world did this Summoning Soulstone come?
Just as Fang Zheng was about to pick up the Soul Summoning Stone to take a closer look, suddenly, Fina’s voice came from outside the door.
“Mr. Fang Zheng, are you ready?”
“Ready!”
Hearing Fina’s inquiry, Fang Zheng quickly snapped his fingers and stowed away the Soulstone and the Dimensional Codex. Then he strode to the door and pulled it open. Outside, Miss Cleric was already fully armed, waiting for his appearance.
“Time waits for no one, let’s go.”

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