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

　……

Chapter 696

　This duel was full of unexpected twists and turns.

　But the final result seemed to be exactly what was expected.

　Lydia Emer had a chance; that was the closest she ever came to victory.

　But whether it's regret or resentment, the outcome of this duel is already set in stone.

　The Magic Ball, frozen solid, could not escape, and whether the duel ended or not depended solely on whether "Gladiator" wanted to shatter the Magic Ball's life barrier.

　……

　"Beep——"

　The referee finally blew the whistle.

　"Gladiator" did not deliberately delay; after successfully freezing the red opponent's Magic Ball, it immediately launched an attack on its Life Barrier.

　Then the red team's magic ball's life barrier shattered on the spot, and the referee declared Dark Deemon the winner!

　It wasn't until the match ended and the audience paused to reflect that they suddenly realized what might have happened at the beginning of the duel.

　Therefore, some whispers quietly arose amidst the cheers.

　Getting a bad start to the game is nothing new for any duelist who is frequently active on stage.

　While duelists try to minimize the chance of drawing bad cards during deck building by using various synergies, this situation inevitably occurs if too many high-rarity Magician cards or spells, items, or arcane cards that cannot be linked in the deck are included.

　However, such a probability is extremely low, and neither the duelists themselves nor their opponents could have anticipated it.

　This means that as long as the duelist remains calm enough when drawing a bad draw, they can buy some time at the start of the match—because their opponent may not be able to react in time.

　This is exactly what happened to Dak Dimon.

　Of course, some aggressive duelists will launch a strong attack at the start. If there's no way to counter that, then you're just out of luck.

　Therefore, there is a saying that has always circulated in the dueling community: no duelist is ever truly invincible!

　……

　Lydia Emerson quietly exhaled after putting away the magic card.

　Regardless of the outcome, this duel is finally over.

　Fighting someone far stronger than oneself is incredibly stressful.

　She actually admired Dark's ability to remain calm when facing older students.

　In terms of both ability and mental fortitude, this junior, who is a year below her, is far superior to her.

　At this moment, as a magnanimous senior, she should be offering her blessings to her junior.

　Lydia Emerson said softly, "You're still a cut above, junior."

　Darkli adjusted the magic cards in his hand and replied, "No, to be honest, I almost lost."

　Lydia Emerson said, "Your words make me even sadder!"

　Dark: "Ha."

　Lydia Emerson then laughed and said, "I really hope to see you go all the way after beating me. Have you ever thought about winning the 'Golden Cup'?"

　“…Dark.”

　“Alright, let’s talk about something else.” Lydia Emerson’s lips curled into a slight smile. “If there’s an opportunity, let’s cooperate again in the dungeon.”

　Dark replied, "I'm really looking forward to it."

　That's such an unlovable, official response.

　Lydia Emerson clicked her tongue, waved, and stepped off the platform.

　The contestants' stage is definitely not a good place to chat, as any inappropriate remarks can be magnified under certain circumstances.

　Throughout history, there have been many duelists who have ruined their reputations by saying the wrong thing on the dueling platform and being caught in the crossfire.

　Dac subsequently stepped down.

　However, he did not leave the duel arena—because he had another duel to come!

　The 11 AM showdown features fifth-grader Angus Jeffrey!

　……

　Angus Jeffrey was still pondering.

　He interlaced his fingers, rested his chin on his hand, and squinted as he pondered, as if thinking about how to break Dark's system in a duel and defeat him—a perfectly normal scene.

　But Stuart Fern, sitting next to him, sensed something amiss.

　He frowned as he looked at Angus Jeffrey's profile, where a faint trace of blackness seemed to linger.

　This made him feel slightly uneasy.

　If he and Angus Jeffrey were truly on good terms, he would likely inquire about his health at this point, advising him not to be stressed by the upcoming duel, as a broken body would ruin everything—something like that.

　But of course, he couldn't possibly have any real close relationship with Angus Jeffrey.

　Therefore, at this moment, he only frowned slightly and then stopped paying attention.

　……

　Dark, who had just emerged from the dueling arena, went to the players' lounge.

　He specifically chose an empty lounge and then began to replenish the magic power of the magic cards.

　Once his magic was replenished, he took out his "Alchemy" notes and continued studying.

　Life is finite; only by seizing every spare moment can one outpace others in the race against time.

　Greed +1

　"it is good!"

　Of course, Dark didn't really want to race against time.

　If he doesn't find a way to get something out of it, he won't have any "major crimes" to extract tonight.

　So he went with the flow.

　Even so, with his current control, the growth of "greed" is no longer as easy as before. The fact that he can increase "greed" by 1 proves that his thirst for knowledge has unknowingly surpassed that of ordinary people.

　Human behavior is self-correcting.

　This is the principle behind the formation of habits.

　Maintaining a certain behavior over a long period of time can form a habit, thereby changing one's character.

　Dak Dimon is undoubtedly changing for the better.

　……

　The interval was nearly two hours.

　As eleven o'clock approached, more and more students entered the open-air dueling arena, the largest number of whom were students from the aristocratic colleges of all grades.

　Generally speaking, most students are paying attention to Darko Dimon. They are very interested in him facing off against fifth-graders again.

　For the students of the House of Nobles, Dark Dimon's opponent in this round was also the reason they came to watch the duel.

　Although Angus Jeffrey has stepped down from the stage of history, the influence he left behind has not faded.

　Moreover, as Darko Dimon continues to defeat his older opponents in the Golden Cup, the reason why Angus Jeffrey has become a laughing stock seems to be fading more and more.

　Although the real reason for Angus Jeffrey's downfall was the rise of current president Edwin Clarissa, the catalyst for it all was his crushing defeat in his duel with Darko Dimon.

　This is also the main reason why he became a laughing stock.

　After all, at the time, Dak Dimon was just a first-year student who had just finished his first year of school.

　It's truly embarrassing for a self-proclaimed excellent fourth-year student to lose to a first-year student.

　But what if the first-year student was actually too overmodel-worthy?

　Perhaps it's not that Angus Jeffrey is too weak, but rather that Dark Dimon is too strong?

　This journey of the "Golden Cup" seems to be verifying this statement.

　If Dark Dimon continues his winning streak at the Gold Cup as Lydia Emerson predicted, and even the fifth-year students can't stop him—then Angus Jeffrey's redemption is just around the corner.

　Although this kind of "whitewashing" may not be acceptable to him personally, it is indeed a possible outcome.

　However, Angus Jeffrey did not sit idly by and wait to be exonerated; he challenged Darko Dimon!

　Is this a turning point or a reckless move?

　If he were to win this duel by chance, what changes would it bring to him personally?

　If he suffers another crushing defeat, what impact will it have on his reputation?

　Besides being labeled a "laughable weakling," will he also be called "overestimating his abilities"?

　What exactly is Angus Jeffrey thinking?

　The students of the Noble Academy were eager to witness it.

　……

　"What will the final outcome be?"

　Edwin Clarissa, the current president of the Society for the Study of Aristocratic History, leaned back in her chair with a languid air, her hands casually resting on either side of the chair back.

　He wasn't worried about whether Angus Jeffrey could make a comeback.

　Because of the very nature of the Society for the Study of Aristocratic History, when he wanted to become the president of the society, Angus Jeffrey could only stand aside!

　Even if Angus Jeffrey unexpectedly wins this duel, he will not pose a threat to him.

　At most, all he can do is use the momentum gained from this victory to start his own business!

　"I'm in fifth grade now, and there's only a year and a half left until graduation. It's time to start thinking about my future."

　Edwin Clarissa whispered her thoughts.

　If Angus Jeffrey graduates under the current circumstances, his political value will become very low.

　Even with his congressman father backing him up, he couldn't attract many powerful and influential supporters.

　Perhaps this is why Angus Jeffrey didn't lie down and try to clear his name, but instead chose to take the initiative to launch a challenge?

　Today's duel should be a very important turning point in Angus Jeffrey's life.

　……

　The second-year students at the Noble Academy mostly watched the show out of support for their classmates.

　Darko Dimon vs. Angus Jeffrey – who do you support? It's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?

　However, since the other party was a senior from the Academy of Nobles, they couldn't show too much emotion, so they just offered verbal encouragement.

　Doron and Pistan sat together, discussing quietly; he seemed fairly relaxed.

　Perhaps because Pistan was eliminated on the first day of the Silver Cup main event, the two were somewhat like brothers in misfortune.

　"I heard that Dark failed to draw a Magical Spirit Card at the start of his duel with the third-year senior?"

　"It seems like his luck isn't very good today?"

　Duolong couldn't help but speculate.

　Pistan said, "After misfortune comes good fortune; no one's luck lasts forever. Maybe Dark will pull off a lucky draw in his duel with Angus Jeffrey?"

　"I hope so," Doron nodded. "Although it's normal to lose to a fifth-year student, I still don't want him to lose."

　Pistan nodded and said, "I really hope he can keep winning. That way, our class will become a legendary one."

　Doron shook his head and said, "That's too difficult. Unless Dark forfeits halfway through like he did in the Silver Cup, otherwise in the later stages... I mean, if he makes it to the main tournament, his opponents will definitely be fifth and sixth graders. No matter how good he is, he'll still be a step behind those upperclassmen."

　Pistan said, "That's true, but we always hope for miracles. Maybe, like Dark this morning, those upperclassmen also had a bad draw in their duels with him?"

　“Well, let’s continue discussing Angus Jeffrey,” Doron said.

　Pistan nodded, then suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, does Senior Jeffrey have a grudge against Dark?"