In truth, no one had really harbored any doubts regarding the outcome of the duel from the very beginning. No matter how legendary the rumors surrounding this "Spider-masked Rare Card Hunter" were, there was no way he could hope to defeat a true monster.
What had truly been an eye-opening experience, however, was the "Special Lock" achieved via Cyber Blader.
Even Bastion stood there for a long moment, unsure of what to say. He considered himself fairly well-acquainted with Yugen by now and had built up a decent resistance to his friend's bizarre and unique tactics. Yet, more often than not, he still found himself caught off guard by Yugen's sudden, unconventional moves.
As for Alexis, her shock surpassed everyone else's in the room.
Even after the duel had concluded, her mind was still filled with a flurry of questions.
Wait... is that really how you're supposed to use Cyber Blader?
In fact, throughout the entire history of the game, Alexis had only utilized Cyber Blader's powerful third effect once. Even then, it had been a specific situational play when her opponent happened to have exactly three monsters on the board, allowing her to break their formation for a one-turn kill.
Under normal circumstances, she rarely made use of that particular ability.
But after observing Yugen's performance today, she felt as though a door to a whole new world had been flung wide.
However, she had a nagging premonition. While the world on the other side of that door was vast, it was likely one of absolute darkness.
Once someone stepped through, they might never be able to find their way back.
She savored the memory of the duel for a long while before finally snapping back to reality. Her gaze was complicated as she watched Yugen calmly retract his Duel Disk, acting as though he had just finished some trivial errand not even worth mentioning.
When she had first joined Yugen's team, she hadn't felt this way. Now, Alexis was starting to get the distinct feeling that she was making a deal with a devil.
Spending too much time with a devil might grant one power, but it carried the risk of being corrupted by association.
And once one was dyed in the colors of a devil, there was no turning back.
Having finally been released from the torture of that duel, Kohara looked up at the sky and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Maybe I'm just not cut out for dueling after all..."
"Perhaps I should just go home and take up farming."
"..."
The next morning, at the Student Council.
"You found them already?"
Seika Kohinata stared at Yugen in utter bewilderment.
"You only heard the rumors about this mysterious duelist the day before yesterday, and you caught them today?"
"Yes. I had other plans that night and didn't have the time, so I had to push it back a day. I only took action last night," Yugen explained.
Seika Kohinata: "..."
So you're saying that if you'd been free, you would have caught them that very same night?
The members of the Student Council had been investigating for days with zero progress. Yugen's efficiency made them all look like idiots.
"Fine then, 'Great Detective' Yugen," Seika said, sitting back in her chair. "First, I'd like to express my gratitude on behalf of all the Obelisk Blue students."
"Don't mention it. It's only what a Student Council officer should do," Yugen said with a magnanimous wave of his hand. "But if you insist on thanking me, I suppose I could force myself to head down to the Student Council's inventory and pick out a couple of cards as a small token of appreciation."
Seika: "..."
Oh, I'm sure it's a real burden for you.
"Cough. I really didn't expect the mysterious duelist's true identity to be a student from Ra Yellow. Still, for a Ra Yellow student to defeat so many elites from the Blue dorm... this year's Ra Yellow dormitory really is a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."
Yugen thought to himself that there was nothing strange about it. In a certain neighboring ninja village, it was perfectly normal for a casually plucked Genin to absolutely demolish a Jonin.
"The world is unpredictable. Occasional anomalies are perfectly normal," Yugen said aloud.
Seika glanced at him and nodded deeply. "True."
You're the biggest anomaly of them all.
"But I truly didn't expect you to actually bring back all the stolen goods..." Seika muttered under her breath.
She scanned the Rare Cards spread out on the table before her.
They were all the Rare Cards that had been snatched from the victimized students.
Yugen raised an eyebrow. "Is this not standard ethical conduct for an officer?"
Since they were obtained through illegal means and taken against the owners' will, they should naturally be returned to their rightful owners.
It wasn't exactly a surprise, but when Yugen had returned with these cards, Seika's first instinctual thought had been: Huh? You're actually a good guy?
Up until now, every time Yugen came to the Student Council, it was either to look for a game or to ask for cards. Combined with her own traumatic experience involving "Lava Golem + Nightmare Wheel," she had instinctively classified this man into the "dark forces" camp.
"We will take responsibility for returning these Rare Cards," Seika stated. "Once again, thank you on behalf of the owners."
"No problem, it's my duty. There's no need for further thanks, but I do have one small request," Yugen said with a smile. "How about this? Before the owners come to collect their respective cards, have them have a match with me first. It'll just be a friendly exchange of pointers. What do you think, President?"
Seika Kohinata: "..."
What do I think?
I think you've completely given up on being human, haven't you?
However, Seika let out a small smile. Without much hesitation, she crossed her arms and nodded in agreement. "Fine."
This was Duel Academy, after all. A harmless friendly match was perfectly acceptable.
Besides...
She wanted to watch too.
The scenes would undoubtedly be very entertaining.
"Of course, that trip was actually quite perilous for me," Yugen continued with a lingering sense of dread. "The power of those two in combination was truly formidable. To uphold justice and order on behalf of the Student Council, I didn't hesitate to stake my soul on my deck. In the end, it was a very narrow victory..."
Seika squinted at him.
Perilous? I bet if they even managed to touch your LP, you'd consider it their win.
But she didn't call him out. Instead, she turned and shouted, "Sato, bring me the warehouse keys."
"Coming!"
An officer named Sato appeared quickly.
"Yugen has performed a great service today. Take him to the warehouse and let him browse our inventory as a reward."
"Got it!"
Sato nodded, but then he remembered something and couldn't help but ask, "Wait, President, which section should he pick from, and how many cards can he take?"
"How should I know? Ask him yourself," Seika waved him off impatiently.
Sato's mouth hung open.
What? We're being that casual about it?
What if this guy decides to haul away the entire warehouse?
"Go on, go on," Seika waved her hand again.
She didn't care anymore.
She had a premonition that if things continued at this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if the entire Duel Academy changed its name to "Yugen Academy" one day.
So, let him do as he pleased.
"The President is truly generous," Yugen said politely.
Then, with a light step, he followed Sato to the warehouse.
That was the thing.
When you had an entire warehouse of legal Rare Cards to choose from, who would care about some petty stolen loot?
Though he had received quite a few Rare Card rewards from the Student Council before, this was his first time actually entering the warehouse.
Most of the cards here were ones that had previously been available through the school's regular channels. However, many Rare Cards had gone out of print after being bought up, meaning they could no longer be purchased through the school store.
Yugen moved through the aisles, filtering through the cards and taking notes. There were some that he instinctively felt might be useful, even if he couldn't think of a specific combo for them yet. For now, he prioritized cards he could use immediately.
There was no rush; he'd likely have plenty of opportunities to return.
He was surprised to discover several cards from the "Worm" series here.
It was an older Yu-Gi-Oh archetype, consisting of LIGHT Reptile-Type monsters, most of which focused on Flip effects and related mechanics.
Based on experience, decks centered around Flip themes were generally quite underhanded.
However, it was just a bit of leftover stock rather than a complete deck. Yugen picked out a few that interested him to save for future needs.
After picking and choosing, he ended up walking out with over forty cards—enough to cobble together an entire deck.
"This should be enough for now," Yugen said, deciding to quit while he was ahead.
After all, he couldn't actually drain the Student Council's entire savings.
Sato watched from behind, his eyes red with envy.
Dammit, I wanted some of those too, but the President never lets me take any...
Before leaving, Yugen thanked the President once more. He casually added, "By the way, how is that new deck you mentioned last time coming along? How about we give it a test run? I can help you see if it needs any adjustments."
The President's entire body shuddered. She let out a forced laugh.
"Ah... ahahaha. My train of thought got a bit stuck, so it's not ready yet."
Seika, who had been sitting with her legs crossed, immediately sat up straight and began frantically shuffling through the documents on her desk, pretending to be busy.
"Oh, look at that, I happen to have a lot of work to do right now. What a shame. How about this? You should have a round with Sato first. Next time. I'll definitely come find you next time."
Sato: "???"
Why am I the one getting hurt again?!
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