Chapter 135 - 135

"Go, Obelisk the Tormentor!" In the enclosed room, Kaiba raised his newly repaired Duel Disk and shouted. Standing opposite Kaiba was a monster that resembled Karna. However, despite the similar appearance, a closer look revealed that it was stiff and lifeless. "What's big brother doing?" Outside the room, Mokuba, puzzled, was watching the scene through a camera that monitored the sealed-off room. "Master Mokuba! President Kaiba is testing whether the newly enhanced Duel Disk can withstand the power of the gods," one of the staff members, expertly operating the system, succinctly answered Mokuba's question. "I know he's testing the Duel Disk, but that monster on the other side…" Mokuba's expression became complicated, unsure how to describe it. "No matter how you look at it, that's Hoshino's monster…" [Obelisk the Tormentor ATK 4000 → ∞] "MAX God Hand Crusher!!" With a punch imbued with infinite attack power, the blow landed squarely on 'Karna.' The machine using the 'Karna' card on the opposing side immediately dropped to zero life points. "Simulation duel complete. The winner is Seto Kaiba." "Excellent, President Kaiba! You won, and the Duel Disk successfully withstood the burden of a god's infinite attack power!" Seeing the result, the staff member gleefully and shamelessly praised Kaiba. "No, it's far from enough!" Kaiba sternly rejected the staff's conclusion, deep in thought. ("Counterattack, Karna!") ("This is my final radiance, piercing through the giant god!") "A Heroic Spirit card isn't some lifeless puppet!" Kaiba's tone was filled with disdain as he looked at the fake 'Karna,' which had just been defeated without putting up any resistance. "Moreover, just taking Obelisk's attack has already put the Duel Disk under extreme strain." Feeling the heavy load on the Duel Disk strapped to his arm, Kaiba's dissatisfaction was obvious. "A Duel Disk like this can't handle a battle between gods!" Kaiba muttered to himself. "After all, there are still two more God Cards waiting for me to claim." (***) "What's going on? The store feels so empty today." When Yugi and Hoshino returned to the shop, they immediately noticed something was off. Usually, the store would be packed with kids just out of school at this time, but today, it was unusually quiet. "Did something happen, Grandpa?" Seeing Sugoroku slumped over the counter, looking dejected, Hoshino asked with concern. "Waaaaah, Yugi, Hoshino, you're back! Grandpa is…" Despite his age, the moment he saw Yugi and Hoshino, Sugoroku put on a crying face. "Sugoroku Mutou, 70 years old, is facing the biggest crisis of his life today!" "What happened, Grandpa?" Yugi, who had never seen Sugoroku like this, asked anxiously. Sёarch* The NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The toy store…" "The toy store?" "Yes, a massive new toy store just opened across the street!" Sugoroku pointed miserably in the direction of the street. Following his finger, they could see the layers of buildings in the distance and a huge, luxurious sign towering above. "Huh? A new toy store? Could they be selling some kind of new game?" Hoshino, suddenly intrigued, had barely played any games other than Duel Monsters since coming to this world, so her curiosity was piqued. "Hoshino, how could you say that? Have you fallen out of love with Duel Monsters?" Sugoroku gasped, looking as though he'd just been betrayed. "Haha, no, not at all, I'm just a bit curious." Hoshino smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty as she looked at Sugoroku's accusing face. "To be honest, I'm a little curious too, Grandpa." Yugi, not missing the chance, joined Hoshino's side of the argument. "Even Yugi…" "Why don't we go scout out the competition and see if the new games are any fun?" Hoshino suggested. "That sounds like a great idea! Let's check it out," Yugi agreed. "Yugi, Hoshino, aren't you going to help out at the store today?" Sugoroku, with the air of a lonely old man, cautiously asked. "There are no customers today, so there's no need for help, Grandpa." Cold and ruthless, Hoshino delivered the final blow to Sugoroku. (***) "It's huge! No comparison to Kame Game Shop at all!" Hoshino marveled, gazing up at the massive structure. As the group walked toward the large sign, they quickly spotted the new toy store. Sometimes, it does help to spend extra money to make your sign bigger. "And it's lively too." Anzu smiled as she looked at the children crowding the entrance. "Dungeon Dice Monsters?" Bakura, who had somehow gotten hold of a flyer, began reading to himself, "Let's see, each dice contains a Duel Monster model. Not only do they retain the beauty of the Duel Monsters cards, but the 3D models also have high collectible value." "Huh? Models inside dice? That sounds like a gacha capsule toy." Hearing Bakura's words, Hoshino's interest grew even stronger. "But why do all the games in this world seem to revolve around Duel Monsters? Isn't there any other IP here?" Hoshino wondered aloud. Tilting her head, Hoshino glanced at the flyer in Bakura's hand and suddenly realized something. "I want to buy a Dark Magician Girl dice, now, now!!" If the models are based on Duel Monsters, then a Dark Magician Girl model would be super cute. "Calm down, Hoshino." Anzu, holding back the excited Hoshino, helplessly reminded her, "Did you forget? You don't even have any money." "Yeah, Hoshino, and it says here…" Bakura pointed to a line on the flyer and read aloud, "Dark Magician Girl model, rarity is max stars, with a drop rate of…" "One in 500 dice." "1/500?" Upon hearing the exact drop rate, Hoshino immediately felt defeated. She thought FGO's 1% rate was bad enough, but this Dungeon Dice Monsters game was even worse. "I bet this money-draining game won't last beyond three chapters!" Hoshino complained. "Anyway, let's head inside and take a look. We came to scout out the competition, didn't we?" Yugi said, leading the group into the store. The massive toy store was several times the size of the Kame Game Shop. Inside, most of the people were eagerly opening their dice and chanting the names of the characters they hoped to get, almost like they were in a trance. "Dark Magician Girl, give me Dark Magician Girl!" "Cyclops, I want the Cyclops!" "Please, let me draw Jeanne Alter." There were also some people playing Duel Monsters. Unlike the mini duel tables at small toy stores, this store had professional duel arenas, like the ones used in the Duelist Kingdom. But even the dueling arenas didn't have much of an effect on Hoshino and the others, who had already seen the latest Duel Disk special effects. "No wonder Grandpa's toy store is empty. With a store this fancy and professional equipment, I'd come here too," Honda sighed, looking around. "Honda…" Anzu closed her eyes and spoke with a hint of displeasure in her voice, "Consider how Yugi feels." "Oh, sorry, sorry." Realizing he'd misspoken, Honda scratched his cheek. "It's fine. Honda's right, after all," Yugi admitted helplessly, a little overwhelmed by the lively atmosphere of the store. "No, I think Kame Game Shop is better." Surprisingly, after entering the store, Hoshino went against the grain. "Hoshino, you don't have to worry about my feelings." "I'm not worrying about your feelings, Yugi, I mean it." Shaking her head, Hoshino continued, "Don't you think this place has crossed the line from lively to just plain noisy?" The store was filled with a crisscross of different games, not just Dungeon Dice Monsters and Duel Monsters, but also slot machines, roulette, and more. "Rather than a toy store, this feels more like an amusement park, or even…" "Yes! I pulled a rare character! I'm going to sell this for big bucks!" "Damn it, I need to pull a rare one too! Let's add 10 more dice!" "…more like a casino," Hoshino concluded. "You're right, this place doesn't seem very kid-friendly," Anzu agreed. "There are so many people, it's overwhelming." "And why are there so many people gathered around that duel arena?" Bakura wondered. Even though Dungeon Dice Monsters was supposed to be the main attraction, most of the crowd was watching the Duel Monsters arena. Surprisingly, not many people were playing Dungeon Dice Monsters. "Damn, I'm offering two monsters as a tribute to summon my ace monster…" "Huh, that voice…" To everyone's surprise, a familiar voice came from the dueling arena. "Come forth, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" "Why is Jonouchi here?!" The moment they heard the unmistakable shout, the group immediately recognized it. "Jonouchi!! What are you doing here?" Hoshino pushed through the crowd, and sure enough, she saw Jonouchi standing in the dueling arena. Even more surprising, Jonouchi's opponent was none other than Duke Devlin, the transfer student. "Hoshino? Why are you here?" Jonouchi was just as shocked to see Hoshino in the crowd. "And Yugi, Honda, you're all here too." "Aren't you supposed to be in remedial classes, Jonouchi?" Yugi, concerned for his best friend, asked worriedly. "Don't ask, Yugi! I'm fighting for a man's pride here!" Jonouchi turned back to the duel, his face serious. He clenched his fists, calling out to his Red-Eyes Black Dragon, "Go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Attack his Terrorking Archfiend!" [Terrorking Archfiend ★★★★ (4 stars)][Dark][Fiend/Effect][ATK 2000/DEF 1500] "Black Flame!" Jonouchi commanded, as his dragon launched a black fireball at Devlin's monster, engulfing the demon wielding a blood-stained blade. [Duke Devlin LP 1200 → 800] "See that, Devlin? That's the pride of Jonouchi Katsuya!" Overjoyed by his successful attack, Jonouchi pumped his fist into the air. "Heh, not bad, Jonouchi. You are one of the top four in the Duelist Kingdom." Despite his life points dropping, Devlin remained unfazed, his smirk suggesting he still had control of the situation. "Let's see how long you can last in front of my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I end my turn!" Jonouchi declared confidently, feeling the tide of the duel turning in his favor. "Jonouchi, why are you dueling Devlin?" Hoshino asked, cutting through the excitement of the moment. She had no idea why Jonouchi was dueling Devlin in the first place. "Well…" Jonouchi scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'll answer that for him, Duel King," Devlin said coolly, drawing his next card as he spoke. His voice was calm, but there was a hidden edge to it. "He's dueling me to defend your honor." "My honor?" Hoshino's eyes widened. She was completely confused by the statement. "What are you talking about?" "Men like Jonouchi, all brawn, and no brain, are easy to manipulate. A few simple provocations, and he was already jumping up and down, eager to prove something." Devlin's voice was laced with condescension as he explained. "Win against me first before you call me easy to deal with! I'm the one with the advantage right now!" Jonouchi snapped, his face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Oh? Beat you?" Devlin's lips curled into a sinister smile. "That'll be easy." With that, Devlin slowly played the card he had drawn, placing it on his hand with an exaggerated flourish. As he did so, a dark, oppressive aura seemed to fill the air around him. His once-calm demeanor shifted, and an unsettling darkness shadowed his eyes. "Let me show you a power that surpasses even the gods you witnessed in the Duelist Kingdom." "Jonouchi, that card doesn't look good!" Sensing something was off, Hoshino shouted a warning to Jonouchi, her instincts kicking in. "Now, witness the power of an evil god," Devlin announced ominously. (*****) If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!