The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　"The situation in the loser's bracket looks very serious."

　"Dark said with a hint of amusement."

　Putting Vanessa Bolt aside, although Witt Gold fell into the loser's bracket, his deck strength is definitely the highest among the top eight!

　A classic clash: the strongest spear against the strongest shield. Will the shield break and the man perish, or will the spear snap and the man die?

　Doron frowned and said, "While I'm absolutely on Pistan's side, it's almost impossible for him to beat Witt. His only chance is to draw Vanessa... or Justin Wayne."

　“Justin Wayne?” Darke couldn’t help but laugh. “He hasn’t even played a single game, and you’ve already sentenced him to death?”

　Doron shook his head and smiled wryly, "I really can't imagine any possibility of him beating Sara Swati. Without you in this year's Silver Cup, Sara Swati has become the strongest contender for the title!"

　In fact it is.

　The fourth duel did not result in an upset.

　Although Justin Wayne had improved since then, he was no match for Sarah Swati and was defeated after a short time.

　After that, the lists for the winners' bracket and the losers' bracket became clear.

　Winners' Bracket: Emma Metis, Diana Gretby, Heidi Euphemia, Sara Swati.

　Losers' Bracket: Witt Gold, Vanessa Bolt, Pistan Kellogg, Justin Wayne.

　The schedule for the losers' bracket will be revealed after this evening!

　Of course, Dark and the others learned of the news immediately after Pistan's draw.

　Pistan abandoned his usual carefree attitude, his expression becoming serious.

　His opponent... is Witt Gold!

　"The chances of survival are slim."

　At dinner, Pistan took a big bite of his steak and chewed it vigorously.

　It was truly a case of fate working against him; in the end, he still couldn't escape Witt Gold.

　Among the top eight this time, only Witt's magic card stands out in terms of strength. It is so powerful that it can break through his defense with sheer force!

　If he loses again tonight, his journey to the Silver Cup will be over.

　Although those ranked 8th to 7th didn't get eliminated in the first round due to the competition format, it's still a one-day trip!

　Why can't the loser's bracket knockout stage be held next week?

　Pistan said with concern.

　Duolong then comforted him, saying, "Eighth to seventh place is fine too. There are academic credits to be earned, which is better than ninth place, right?"

　Pistan glanced at him, then burst into laughter and began to eat ravenously.

　Lunchtime was fairly pleasant.

　Pistan wasn't particularly competitive; even if he lost, he wouldn't have any regrets as long as he had tried his best.

　After lunch, the group of five strolled around the castle to digest their food.

　As winter arrives and the weather grows colder, the castle feels increasingly desolate.

　But the students' laughter and cheers always managed to dispel this indifference.

　Walking through the castle, you can see students taking out "flower cards" from time to time. From viewing them as secret objects to now using them to tease each other, there has been a subtle change in various ways.

　The night was hazy, and the evening glow drifted in.

　The students entered the dueling arena again; it was already completely dark.

　The loser's bracket elimination round of the "Silver Cup" has also begun.

　Pistan Kellogg, the first wrestler to take the stage in the evening session, is about to face off against Witt Gold under the spotlight.

　One was from the House of Nobles and the other from the House of Knights; their presence on the contestant's platform immediately created a tense atmosphere.

　But Witt Gold was full of momentum, while Pistan Kellogg seemed much more conservative.

　Both are in the losers' bracket, but their performances are clearly different.

　As the battle began, Pistan, who was nervous, made mistakes in his performance and was seized upon by Witt Gold to be brutally beaten.

　When Witt sacrificed himself to summon the third-tier magical spirit, Pistan's defenses finally crumbled and were completely breached.

　After his defeat to Emma Metis, Witt Gold finally regained some morale.

　……

　The second loser's bracket match followed immediately at 8:00 PM.

　Vanessa Bolt and Justin Wayne are both the type to play steadily and methodically, making it difficult to find any flaws in their duel. However, the result of their constant analysis and counter-analysis will ultimately be a contest of their underlying strength.

　Justin Wayne had an early advantage, but Vanessa Bolt gradually turned the tide in the late game with her meticulous strategy, ultimately securing the victory.

　Vanessa Bolt's victory undoubtedly gave the "House of Fools" a huge sigh of relief, and cheers resounded endlessly.

　Although Justin Wayne was the second-year prefect of the Knights Academy, he actually ranked only third among the second-year students. His failure did not cause much of a stir in the Knights Academy.

　The students of the Knights Academy all believed that Vittor God, who possessed a third-tier magical spirit, would easily defeat the students of the Fools' Academy; it wouldn't be a problem.

　However, today's match is over, so we'll have to leave the suspense for next week.

　After watching the match with Diana and Rose, Dark did not stay in the duel arena any longer.

　In fact, he himself has two more games to play tomorrow, so he may need some time to prepare tonight and cram at the last minute.

　Tomorrow morning's first duel will be against a third-year student from the Fool's House; it'll be a warm-up match.

　The second duel is the real showdown, as he will face off against the former president of the Noble History Research Society—Angus Jeffrey!

　……

　Angus Jeffrey is now a fifth-grade student.

　Dark had fought the "Netherfire" when it possessed him and was impressed by its emperor penguin named "Frost Emperor".

　Of course, the core element that Angus Jeffrey revealed in that duel was actually the Magical Spirit Card called "Yellow Spring Ice Coffin".

　That three-star Magical Spirit card can actually summon the seven-star Magical Spirit "Frost Lich" from the deck!

　This combination is invincible against younger students. If you draw "Yellow Spring Ice Coffin" at the start, you can almost instantly kill your opponent.

　Even if all else fails, the "Frost Lich" can be used as a sacrifice to summon a stronger magical spirit.

　As for the two "Netherworld Steles" he forged using "Netherworld Fire," they should have been abandoned long ago.

　In short, although Angus Jeffrey did not specialize in dueling in the past, he was not weak in himself.

　Although he did not do it intentionally, it just so happens to fit the essence of "accumulating knowledge and experience before making a breakthrough". The knowledge and resources he has accumulated over the past four years will likely enable him to make rapid progress during this first semester of fifth grade.

　"I hope he can bring me some surprises."

　Dark adjusted his deck while pondering the situation.

　That night, he took 2 points from his naturally accumulated 92 points of "greed" energy and went to bed early to maintain his condition.

　Before going to sleep, he casually performed a "magical beast" forging and a "second forging", and then accidentally created a three-star "magical beast: Ditto"!

　Thus, his deck now contains three three-star "Ditto" cards!

　Three "Fantasy Beast: Eevee" cards.

　Three "Fantasy Beasts: Ditto".

　These six Magic Spirit cards are incredibly versatile; they can be added to any "Great Sin" lineup as a synergy.

　The research on "secondary alchemy" can finally come to a temporary end.

　……

　On Saturday morning, the eaves were covered in frost and ice, with icicles hanging down, and the wind was bleak and piercing.

　After getting up, Dak felt a little chilly, so he picked out a scarf from the closet and put it on.

　"I wonder if it will snow this winter?"

　Dak walked onto the balcony, looked up at the sky, and suddenly saw a small figure in his eyes. He then went back inside and sat at his desk to wait a moment.

　Then the little devilmon flew back with breakfast.

　After putting down the basket, it plunged into Dak's arms like a diver, lying in the warm embrace and rubbing the tips of its wings.

　Dak loosened his coat slightly to wrap it inside, then pulled out a newspaper from the shopping basket and began to read.

　With Christmas approaching, the newspapers finally had some substantial content.

　Prince Charles, Princess Elizabeth, and the bishops of the Holy Church all made appearances on the front page of the newspapers, as if to assert their presence.

　Unlike previous years, this year's Great Sage Daily has featured many more advertisements for the All-People Duel Club.

　With St. Maryann Academy as its backing, the All-People Duel Club has officially entered the public eye, and the game of simulated dueling is gradually becoming popular.

　While Dark and Claire were chatting across servers, Dark heard that many people in the aristocratic circle had become addicted to it. Some had even applied to Claire for authorization to hold a simulated duel competition during Christmas.

　Those nobles were originally idle, spending their days either gathering in crowds or gathering in crowds. Now that they have something that interests them, they have made a great contribution to the security of the capital.

　Of course, Claire promptly rejected their authorization requests.

　However, she is considering whether the All-People Duel Club should organize a Christmas-themed dueling tournament.

　Competitions and prize money have always been the best way to promote games.

　Sales of simulated duels are now quite substantial, and the industry has gained a certain level of popularity, at least in the capital. There's no shortage of participants for any competitions.

　Once this simulated duel competition was launched, it was easily compared to the magic duel competition.

　Moreover, the organizers of the magic dueling tournaments wouldn't miss out on a holiday like Christmas. There are several amateur and professional tournaments to be held in the capital alone.

　If the All-People Duel Club were to forcefully intervene, it would likely face attacks from the organizers and fans of those magic dueling tournaments, making the competition quite intense.

　But pressure can be a motivator, and to make simulated duels bigger, one needs the courage to go against the tide.

　Therefore, Claire already had the intention of holding a Christmas Duel Festival.

　……

　After finishing his breakfast, Dark collected all the magical spirits into his card. Then, carrying his alchemy notebook, he walked to the open-air dueling arena.

　His first match is after nine in the morning, so there's no rush.

　For him, it was simply a matter of reading in a different place.

　But for his opponent, third-year student Lydia Emerson, it wasn't so easy.

　It's a long story, but Dak is actually quite familiar with this year's third-year students.

　Both Mary and Scott had some interaction with him.

　Besides that, he also met many third-year students during his dungeon adventures, Lydia Emerson being one of them.

　He slept with Lydia Emerson for two nights, and later, when he left the dungeon, he borrowed Emerson's key, so the two were quite familiar with each other.

　However familiar they may be, they still acted the same way during the duel.

　Lydia Emerson wasn't particularly famous among the third-year students. After inquiring with two upperclassmen in the club, Dark learned that her displayed dueling skills were only slightly above average, not much different from the third-year students he had defeated during this period.

　However, Lydia Emerson is, after all, a student of the Magic Academy, and her extensive knowledge gives her the potential to transform at any time.

　If we underestimate it, it's not impossible for us to capsize in a ditch.

　……

　Annular belt.

　Lydia Emerson was wrapped in a scarf and a cotton hat, completely covering herself up.

　She sat in her seat, curled up, watching the duel taking place on the field, with the incessant chatter of her classmates from the Magic Academy in her ears.

　"Okay, that's enough, I'll try my best!"

　Lydia Emerson finally couldn't help but protest. But her voice was still weak and listless.

　Starting from the second day of this week, she knew she had been matched with second-year student Dark Dimon.

　She didn't react much at the time.

　Although she also participated in the "Golden Cup", like most of her classmates, she signed up simply to hone her skills and had no ambition to reach the top eight or sixteen.

　As of today, my record is only 50/50, slightly better than my classmates, but not by much.