That evening, inside a Slifer Red dormitory room.
Jiang He had finished his bath and sat on his bed, drying his hair while dressed in loose, comfortable clothes. He had to admit that the environment at Duel Academy was actually quite good. They even had hot springs. The only downside was that the Slifer Red dorms were a bit too "austere" for his taste...
Fortunately, his private luxury cabin was already halfway finished next door, taking only a few days! As expected of the construction team from the Princeton Groupthey were quite famous in this Duel World.
Jiang He could only say one thing to Chazz: your family's construction crew and funds are incredibly useful!
"Achoo!!"
Out on the ocean beyond the academy's island, a figure with long, spiky black hair stood on the deck of a sea vessel, clutching a backpack. He suddenly let out a loud sneeze.
"Damn it! It has to be that bastard Jiang He, or maybe Jaden Yuki talking behind my back!"
Chazz turned around somewhat dejectedly, looking back at the island he had just left. He let out a heavy snort.
"Just you wait! I'll return with a brand-new personaas Black Thunderand have my revenge! Jiang He, Jaden Yuki! I, Chazz 'Black Thunder' Princeton, will never end like this!"
...
"Tch, so that guy really left, huh?"
Back in the Slifer Red dorm room, Jiang He had just finished drying his hair when he saw the phantom image of little Sphere Kuriboh drift through the door. The little guy told him everything he had seen at the edge of the island.
Jiang He clicked his tongue in mock regret before putting the matter aside. Unless something went wrong with the timeline, that clown Chazz would eventually return to seek revenge anyway. When that happened, Jiang He wouldn't miss the chance to "fleece" him again!
"Kuri-kuri!"
Besides that, Sphere Kuriboh brought him another bit of gossip it had stumbled upon.
"You're saying... that blonde woman I was with earlier went toward the abandoned dorms deep in the woods, carrying a small white flower...?" Jiang He muttered, confirming the details.
The blonde woman he had been with was obviously Alexis Rhodes. Carrying a small white flower as a memorial and heading toward the abandoned dorms? Jiang He instantly guessed the plot! It had to be the location of that hidden secret incident at Duel Academy.
The old, abandoned elite dorms! It was also the place where Alexis's brother, Atticus Rhodes, had disappeared a year ago.
"Am I going to run into a Shadow Duel this soon...?" Jiang He's lip twitched, a slightly pained expression crossing his face.
However, given how closely that location was tied to Shadow Duels and the events that would follow, he was bound to encounter them sooner or later. Fortunately, he had sent a wave of "healing warmth" to Bastion Misawa earlier that day, and Bastion had "returned the favor" by providing a substantial amount of Emotion Points!
He now had more than enough to exchange for the ability to handle Shadow Duels: the Mark of the Dragon.
Jiang He immediately checked his status panel.
[Name: Jiang He]
[Skills: Clear Mind, Duel Spirit Vision (Ability to see and sense Duel Monster Spirits)]
[Current Decks: Exodia the Forbidden One OTK Deck, Lava Golem Deck (Stall/Burn Playstyle)]
[Emotion Points: 4800]
Compared to his balance of 2200 points this morning, Bastion Misawa had provided a staggering 2600 Emotion Points! One person had almost single-handedly funded the 3000 points needed for the Mark of the Dragon (Head)!
A satisfied smile spread across Jiang He's face. He was ready to crown Bastion Misawa as the "Ten Best Tools" of the year.
[System Shop (Refreshes every two days, providing four exchangeable options)]
Today's Options:
- [Deck: Arcana Force Deck (Sartorius Version)] 500 Points
- [Deck: Morphing Jar Deck (Mill/Deck Out)] 1000 Points
- [Deck: Stealth Bird Deck (Burn)] 1500 Points
- [Skill: Mark of the Dragon (Head) (The Crimson Dragon's power of protection that ignores negative damage caused by Shadow Duels)] 3000 Points
Since he had enough points, Jiang He naturally exchanged them for the Mark of the Dragon (Head) without hesitation!
Vroom!!
A searing heat suddenly surged from his wrist. Jiang He lifted his right hand and discovered a faint, glowing red mark resembling a stylized dragon head appearing on his skin!
Thanks to his Duel Spirit Vision, Jiang He could vaguely feel a hidden, incredibly powerful Duel Monster Spirit energy within the mark. However, it felt incomplete. Aside from the power of protection, he didn't sense any offensive capabilities or other properties.
"So it really is just pure protection..." Jiang He clicked his tongue, a bit disappointed. His hope of finding a loophole to exploit the system's power for free was clearly not going to happen.
However, after sensing the ability, he was fairly certain that this Dragon Mark he bought from the system likely had several other matching components out there...!
Most importantly, feeling the sheer strength of the protection within the Mark of the Dragon (Head), he was no longer worried about the "real damage" of Shadow Duels. He even felt a spark of interest toward them...!
Jiang He felt that if he met a Shadow Duelist now, he'd love to have them "translate" exactly what the phrase "Crimson Dragon's power of protection that ignores negative damage" meant in practice! While he was at it, he'd make sure to bring those Shadow Duelists a few "healing smiles" of his own.
"Kuri-kuri."
Sphere Kuriboh drifted over to the quilt Jiang He was sitting on, blinking its eyes curiously at the glowing red mark on his wrist. Clearly, the little guy had also sensed the powerful protection of the Crimson Dragon.
With a thought from Jiang He, the red glow of the dragon head mark quickly faded and vanished, returning his skin to its original state. Jiang He was quite satisfied that it didn't leave a permanent mark like a real tattoo.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).