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

　With third-graders being easily defeated by Darko Dimon, she didn't think she could pull off a miracle.

　Therefore, she originally only intended to go through the motions of this year's duel and take the opportunity to show her presence in front of the junior students.

　Unexpectedly, her classmates harbored unrealistic fantasies about her.

　"Don't underestimate yourself, Lydia, you can do it!" The girl who had been her deskmate for two and a half years clenched her fist.

　"Aren't we just praying for you? A magic duel is even possible!" another girl chimed in.

　Another girl with a talent for divination said mysteriously, "Maybe Dark Dimon will encounter a terrible draw in this competition? For example, what if he gets five cards in his starting hand and not a single one is a Magical Elf?"

　“How could that be?” Lydia Emerson rolled her eyes and said, “Luck may seem unpredictable, but in reality, how could someone who makes great strides on the path of dueling be unlucky?”

　“Then let’s curse him!” Another girl winked at her and suddenly said, “I recently found a method for making cursed figurines in a book, do you want to try it?”

　Lydia Emerson: "..."

　"Alright, that's enough," Lydia Emerson said. "It's too late to do it now, I need to get ready."

　As she spoke, she lowered her legs, followed her body, and then quickly fled amidst the chattering background.

　"For someone who can freely loot treasure chests in dungeons, luck? Damn it, I really want to make a scarecrow and curse him!"

　Lydia Emerson pursed her lips, turned around, and entered the players' tunnel.

　……

　"Beep——"

　A notification sound came from the branch card.

　Dak took it out to examine it, then closed the book and prepared to go on stage.

　The two entered through different passages, and the entrances they chose also faced different directions.

　They finally met upon arriving at the designated location.

　“Long time no see.” Lydia Emerson raised her hand to her chest and scratched at Dark.

　Darke replied with a smile, "Good afternoon, Senior Emerson."

　Lydia Emerson laughed and said, "I'm honored to be a stepping stone on your path to success."

　Dark was stunned for a moment: "Senior..."

　Lydia Emerson blinked sharply and said, "Okay, I was just kidding. Nice to meet you."

　Dark said, "I should be the one asking my senior for guidance."

　Lydia Emerson sighed again: "That's it then. Hopefully, I won't lose too badly."

　Dark said, "Senior, it's not a good thing to be cowardly before the battle even begins. Besides, I won't underestimate you just because you're deliberately showing weakness."

　Lydia Emerson wanted to say, "I'm really weak." But she held back and simply waved her hand, saying, "It's time to go on stage."

　“Hmm.” Dark nodded, then turned his back to Lydia and walked toward the blue team’s platform.

　Lydia Emerson, on the other hand, took to the red corner player's stand!

　There are no amplification devices outside the venue, so it's perfectly fine to speak freely.

　Once the poker table is activated, every word spoken will reach the public's ears, so one must be careful with their words and actions.

　Throughout history, quite a few students have died because of their outspokenness.

　Lydia Emerson placed the prepared deck into the slot and activated the card table.

　On the other hand, the same was true for Dark.

　As the "Preparation Phase" projection appeared above the venue, the audience members who had been watching them stopped talking.

　And in the ring-shaped zone.

　Angus Jeffrey, accompanied by Stuart Fern, had also entered the dueling arena.

　The duel between Angus Jeffrey and Dark Dimon was scheduled for 11:00 AM.

　But since Dark Dimon has another duel scheduled for 9 PM, he certainly can't miss it.

　Since the duel last week, Stuart Fowle has gained Angus Jeffrey's attention and is often seen with him.

　Although Stuart Fowle was reluctant to get too close to Angus Jeffrey in public because of his current disgraced reputation, gaining Angus Jeffrey's attention meant that he was one step closer to his goal.

　Therefore, his feelings at this moment were actually very conflicted.

　But sometimes, a person doesn't have many choices.

　He couldn't possibly refuse Angus Jeffrey's invitation; that would ruin everything.

　As the two took their seats, Stuart Fowle looked up at the players' platform.

　He glanced at it and muttered, "A duel with no suspense."

　One was a third-year magic academy student whose name he couldn't recall, and the other was a super rookie who had recently defeated him.

　An overwhelming gap in strength can make a duel less exciting.

　He didn't want to waste his time on this.

　But Angus Jeffrey said, "Don't be too impatient. Patience was something I lacked most before, but now I know how precious it is."

　Stuart Fowne nodded slightly and echoed, "Mm."

　Angus Jeffrey then added, “Dark Dimon will undoubtedly win this duel. But based on the card sequence he gets, we might have a chance to see something he hasn’t shown yet. And that will provide the foundation for me to defeat him.”

　Stuart Fowle's eyes flickered slightly, and finally he couldn't help but ask, "What are the odds of winning?"

　“I never calculate such things,” Angus Jeffrey sneered. “I never imagined I could be so terrifying when I get serious. You have no idea how horribly I’ve improved this semester. Defeating a mere Dark Dimon is just the first step. I will wash away all past shame in this duel today! Then I will set sail again and head towards the stars! And you will be my helmsman.”

　Stuart Fowne: "..."

　Can you please not take me with you?

　……

　"Beep——"

　The referee blows the whistle.

　"Preparation Phase" [30 seconds]

　The projection in the sky showed a 30-second countdown for the "Preparation Phase".

　Both players have placed their hands on their decks.

　"The battle begins!"

　For duelists, there are thousands of ways to draw cards, but the methods of drawing cards are all based on the same principle.

　After placing his cards in his left hand, Dark Dimon looked at the five cards in his starting hand.

　These five cards will determine his overall strategic inclination in this duel.

　Bronze Snake Mirror

　【Paradise III? Moon】

　【Lucky Dice】

　[Underworld Soul Ring]

　Greed III

　Dark: "..."

　Bah!

　Is it finally here?

　Compensation after overspending, a period of moral decline?

　Looking at the five magic cards in his hand, Dark couldn't help but reminisce about the past.

　The last time I didn't have a Magical Spirit card in my starting hand of five Magical cards was the last time.

　To be honest, with his current deck composition, drawing this hand isn't so scary. What's scary is drawing five high-rarity magic cards that can't be Normal Summoned—after all, that would leave him with absolutely no chance to fight back.

　If that situation really happens, I'm afraid I can only rely on my ability to control the magic ball to maneuver for thirty seconds.

　A start like today is actually... not bad!

　Dark quickly calmed down and took out the "Netherworld Soul Ring" from it.

　Each of these five cards is actually very useful.

　The two "Sin Cards" can actually be used as emotion-enhancing cards, unless they are used to induce the evolution of a Magical Spirit. Under normal circumstances, they can cause the opponent's Magical Spirit to lose its ability to fight for a short period of time.

　But of course he couldn't do that in a regular duel.

　If he did that, his opponent's magical spirit would gain sentience from the "Great Sin Card," and his not-so-secret secret would be exposed.

　This isn't a matter of profit or loss, but rather that once this secret is exposed to the public, those with ulterior motives have a basis to follow the clues and potentially discover his true secret.

　This is a risk he cannot afford.

　He will not reveal this trump card unless it is absolutely necessary and critical!

　Besides these two "Sin Cards", he also has two control-type magic cards in his hand - "Netherworld Soul Ring" and "Bronze Serpent Mirror"!

　The "Netherworld Soul Ring" has a full effect on first-tier magical spirits, but only produces a temporary restraining effect on second-tier magical spirits.

　The "Bronze Serpent Mirror" is powerful enough to petrify a second-tier magical spirit on the spot, rendering it unable to perform its function throughout the entire duel.

　Therefore, with these two cards in hand, he still has room to maneuver.

　What's more, there's also the "Lucky Dice" to keep things in order!

　"How about we start with the 'Lucky Dice'?"

　Suddenly, Dak had a thought and realized that this was a rare opportunity.

　If you don't draw any Magic Spirit cards, you can't summon "Netherworld Soul Ring" and "Bronze Serpent Mirror" without a target, so you can only start with "Lucky Dice", right?

　"Would you like to take a gamble?"

　"They're not going to release another banquet skill, are they?"

　Dak's eyes darted around, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

　He felt that he had once again grasped a bit of the fun of dueling!

　"In the name of Dark Demon, the Mage..."

　The chanting stopped abruptly, and Dark suddenly realized that items like the "Wishful Dice," just like "Weapon Cards," must be held by a Magical Spirit in a duel to be activated.

　The rules of magical duels have very detailed provisions regarding this aspect.

　Similarly, there is the "Bronze Snake Mirror".

　It must be equipped in the hands of a magical spirit to be activated.

　In other words, the only thing he can actually use right now is the "Netherworld Soul Ring"!

　“It’s getting a bit tricky!”

　Dark's brow furrowed slightly.

　……

　"In the name of Lydia Emerson, a magical summoning—'Water Elemental Lizard'!"

　But Lydia Emerson did not slacken her efforts at the moment the "battle phase" began.

　She immediately summoned her first magical spirit.

　It was a pure water elemental in the shape of a lizard, about two meters long from head to tail, with only an ice-blue core swimming inside its body.

　Card Name: Water Elemental Lizard

　[Type: Spirit Card]

　【grade:】

　[Race: Elemental]

　【属性：water type】

　【Magic Power: 1700】