A minute later, at the villagers' request, the hopeful Yugen donned his Duel Disc and stood opposite the professional duelist, Somlier Baka, on the battlefield.
Of course, if it was solely for not wanting to disgrace the Academy, Yugen may not have been the students' only choice. At least, Marufuji Ryo, known as the Academy Caesar, also had a substantial fan base.
Although Yugen was generally recognized as this year's rookie king at the Academy, some fans still insisted that Caesar was rightfully the Academy's number one, representing the highest level at Duel Academy.
And while Yugen was strong, he was still just a freshman, and not everyone believed he could surpass Caesar until they had directly competed against each other.
But if we consider not just strength, then there's not much hesitation; over eighty percent of the students would feel that Yugen is the people's choice.
No other reason, because it's fun.
As Judai often says, dueling should be joyful. And it's universally acknowledged that Yugen's duels are the most fun. It would be unreasonable not to let the professional player share in everyone's joy during such a rare opportunity.
If Yugen performs normally and allows the professional player to also share the happiness everyone usually feels, then everyone would naturally be happy. And if the so-called eighth-ranked professional excels and overwhelms Yugen, it would be considered a remarkable achievement worthy of celebration.
No matter how you look at it, Yugen is the most intriguing choice.
So it has unfolded this way, with Yugen facing this professional player.
"Since everyone has unanimously recommended you, there must be something extraordinary about you." Somlier, the pro, had already drawn his starting hand of five cards, smiling as he spoke. "Of course, after all, you're still young.
No matter how high-quality the raw material, without the sedimentation of time, it can't increase in value. So you don't need to be nervous, no need to feel pressured, just play at your normal level.
We're primarily giving a demonstration lesson today, the outcome doesn't matter."
"Alright, senior." Yugen activated the Duel Disc and drew his starting hand, "Please guide me."
"Duel!" x2
[Yugen, LP 4000]
[Somlier, LP 4000]
"I'll go first, draw a card."
Somlier drew a card, then elegantly picked out a card from his hand with two fingers.
"I summon 'Wine Hero God Bacas' in Attack Position!" (Original Card)
What appeared was an elderly man with an ancient Greek style, with a thick, fluffy beard like a fiery blaze, holding an elegantly antique pure gold wine glass in one hand and a bunch of grapes in the other.
[Wine Hero God Bacas, Attack Power 1600]
"Set one card face-down, end my turn." Somlier said with a smile, "Now, come on, my friend. Show me your duel."
With that, he waved a glass of red wine he pulled out from somewhere, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.
Every movement was filled with elegance.
"Okay, senior. Then my turn, draw a card."
Yugen drew a card, then selected a card from his hand to play.
"First, I'll set a card on the field."
The image of a set card appeared on the field, shimmering in golden light.
He then revealed a Magic card from his hand.
"Activate the Magic Card 'Handwriting Erasure'. Both players discard their entire hands, then draw the same number of cards."
"Oh, starting with a hand exchange." Somlier chuckled and pointed out, "Because you didn't draw suitable cards? This could be a problem with your deck construction; relying on hand exchange won't solve your issues..."
"You're right, senior."
Yugen smiled without rebuttal, sending four cards from his hand to the graveyard, then drawing a new four.
"And among the cards sent to the graveyard with 'Handwriting Erasure' is the 'Scholar Spirit'. This card allows me to draw one more card from the deck when it's sent to the graveyard." (Original Card)
He glanced at the newly drawn cards, thinking for a moment before choosing one.
"Set one monster in Face-down Defense Position."
A face-down monster appeared on the field. He then drew three cards from his hand.
"Set three more cards, ending my turn."
The front had one face-down, and the back had four. Several familiar students in the audience were starting to look expectant.
Here it came, Yugen's unique T-formation!
It's coming, it's coming!
"Hmm, just defense?"
Somlier swirled his wine glass again, still maintaining a calm demeanor as he spoke elegantly.
"I suppose there are duelists like that. Focusing on defense over offense... You're still young, after all. The professional world is brutal; without seizing the offensive lead, the goddess of victory won't favor you."
Somlier put down his wine glass, which seemed more like a prop than a drink.
"Then let me show you the way of a professional. My turn, draw a card!" Somlier declared, "At this moment, Wine Hero God Bacas's effect activates.
In each of my Standby Phases, this card's Attack Power increases by 300 points."
[Wine Hero God Bacas, Attack Power 1600 → Attack Power 1900]
"Then I activate the Magic Card 'Angel's Charity' from my hand," Somlier continued, "Drawing three cards from my deck, then discarding two cards from my hand..."
"At that moment, I activate a set card." Yugen snapped his fingers, "Continuous Trap - Lure of the Undead."
The image of a demon appeared on his field, like a spectral shadow, exuding a deathly aura.
"Lure of the Undead deals 300 points of damage to the owner of each card sent to the graveyard."
"Hmm?" Somlier frowned.
This was once a card used by the legendary duelist Mr. Malikma from Duel City.
Master Malikma was truly the pioneer of Underworld tactics. Many Underworld cards and strategies were first developed by him and later refined and expanded upon by physical card players, evolving into mature deck strategies.
In terms of Underworld tactics, calling Malikma a master is no exaggeration.
"Tch, so sending cards to the graveyard means taking damage? But it's only a mere 300 points..."
Somlier, at that moment, didn't think much of it and continued to draw three cards from his deck.
"According to 'Angel's Charity', I send two cards from my hand to the graveyard."
"Then, with 'Lure of the Undead', two cards plus 'Angel's Charity' itself makes a total of three cards, equating to 900 points of damage."
[Somlier, LP 4000 → LP 3100]
"Ha, just 900 points of damage..."
Somlier's brow furrowed slightly.
Though he said this, a slight sense of foreboding started settling in his mind.
Especially seeing the sinister demon projections on his opponent's field and the ominous black auras emanating from the rest of the face-down cards, everything was becoming increasingly unsettling.