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

　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.

　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