Chapter 30: Because it

The sunglasses-wearing examiner now seems to be starting to understand a little why this examinee deliberately came to ask before the duel started whether the examiner's mood could affect his exam results.

Because if he could, he now has the urge to draw a big "X" on this examinee's file and tell him to get lost as far as he can.

Only the first turn, and half his hand is gone while his field is still empty. To make matters worse, he even had a "Sakuretsu Armor" tossed away before he even had a chance to set it. A powerful trap that could directly destroy an opponent's monster when it attacks, yet it was sent to the Underworld before it even had the chance to be set.

Of course, this thought only flashed through his mind for a moment.

The sunglasses-wearing examiner temporarily suppressed that urge.

Stay calm, must stay calm. His current identity is an examiner, a professional one at that; no matter what happens, he cannot get angry.

Zhang Ka entered the arena with the number 001, and his exam was already the one with the highest attention among the examinees currently on the field. After this turn, even more gazes began to converge on this exam area, and many people became curious about him.

"That boy named Zhang Ka is this year's first place, right?" Asuka Tenjoin leaned against the railing, "How should I put it? His dueling... feels a bit different from the first place I imagined."

"..."

Over here, beside Manjoume.

Lackey A: "It's starting, it's starting! That Zhang Ka is about to start again!"

"That's it! That's the feeling!" Lackey B also said, "This development, this direction... it feels like even Big Brother Manjoume was pitted into an eternal abyss!"

"You guys are exaggerating too much."

Manjoume muttered.

He clearly still struggled for a few turns before falling into the abyss of the Underworld.

Following that, he revealed a gloomy and horrified expression.

"But if they think this is all, then they are too naive. For that dog, this has only just begun..."

The two lackeys looked at him with sympathy.

"Big Brother Manjoume really has experience..."

"Yeah, it's heartbreaking."

Manjoume: "Shut up!"

"..."

"My turn, draw card."

Zhang Ka calmly inserted another card into his Duel Disk.

"Magic Card 'Delinquent Duo', pay 1000 Life Points, randomly discard one card from the opponent's hand, and the opponent chooses another card from their hand to discard."

【Zhang Ka, LP3000→LP2000】

One blue and one red demon flew out together, each holding one of the examiner's cards, laughing and mocking as they flew away.

Examiner: "..."

Secret Technique: Hand Evaporation Art.

He pushed up his sunglasses and looked down at the last remaining card in his hand.

【Continuous Magic - Chivalry Spirit.

Effect: Monsters on your field do not get destroyed when battling monsters with the same ATK.】

Something completely meaningless.

Rounding it up, he had no cards left to play.

If this were in an anime, the sunglasses-wearing examiner should be in a state of steam spraying from the top of his head, approaching the critical point of a volcanic eruption.

The only thing keeping him from angrily throwing his Duel Disk and rolling up his sleeves was his solid professional ethics and constant psychological suggestion.

I am a professional, I cannot get angry, I cannot...

Zhang Ka: "Normal Summon 'Witch of the Black Forest'."

【Witch of the Black Forest, ATK 1100】

"Witch of the Black Forest attacks directly."

【Examiner, LP4000→LP2900】

The examiner stood there with a dark face, taking the attack without moving, his posture as if he were building up an anger gauge.

"Turn end."

"..."

Lackey A on the stands: "It's really just like Big Brother Manjoume said."

Lackey B also shook his head, even starting to sympathize with that unlucky examiner.

Manjoume didn't say a word, but he crossed his fingers and leaned forward to watch the duel progress, unexpectedly... revealing a smile.

"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."

The corners of Manjoume's mouth rose uncontrollably.

Honestly, he didn't know why this was.

But seeing that examiner suffering down there, it felt like himself yesterday.

Suddenly, there was an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Only then did he suddenly realize that when he wasn't the one on the opposite side, Underworld Dueling could actually bring such joy.

Lackey B peeked at his increasingly exaggerated smile from behind and couldn't help but whisper: "Big Brother, your smile is so perverted..."

"..."

"My turn, draw card!"

The examiner calmed his breathing, trying his best to focus his attention on the duel.

"Activate Magic Card 'Silent Dead' from my hand. I can revive a Normal Monster from the Graveyard in Defense Position, but monsters summoned through this effect cannot attack.

What I want to revive is this card that you discarded to the Graveyard last turn..."

The examiner took the card that popped out from the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk.

"Millennium Shield!"

A huge shield emerged from the vortex of the Underworld, standing across the examiner's field.

【Millennium Shield, DEF 3000】

"It's actually Millennium Shield!"

Students immediately exclaimed.

Rumored to be a legendary shield passed down from the ancient Egyptian royal family, it could even block the Burst Stream of Destruction of the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon; it is a legendary monster that can be called indestructible.

"Turn end."

Although he really wanted to have more moves, the examiner had no cards left to play. But this was a Millennium Shield with the defensive power of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon; it shouldn't be broken through so easily.

Holding on until the next turn, there was still a chance.

"My turn," Zhang Ka said, "Activate Equip Magic 'Wonder Wand' from my hand. Only Spellcaster-type monsters can equip it.

I equip it to 'Witch of the Black Forest', the equipped monster's ATK increases by 500."

【Witch of the Black Forest, ATK 1100→ATK 1600】

"Next, activate the second effect of 'Wonder Wand'. Send the equipped monster and this card to the Graveyard to draw two cards.

I send 'Witch of the Black Forest' and 'Wonder Wand' to the Graveyard together, draw two cards."

Drawing the two new cards, Zhang Ka then pulled his deck out of the Duel Disk and unfolded it directly.

"'Witch of the Black Forest's effect. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, add a monster with 1500 or less DEF from the deck to the hand.

I add this card from my deck to my hand."

He held a card between two fingers and displayed it.

"Mahaama, DEF 1400, added to hand," Zhang Ka said, "Next, Normal Summon 'Mahaama', in Attack Position."

【Mahaama, ATK 1550】

Mahaama, originally also in Yugi Mutou's deck, was later gifted to Anzu Mazaki by Yugi, and also played an important role in the anime.

"Then activate Equip Magic 'Blast Spear' from my hand."

Zhang Ka inserted another card into the Duel Disk, and the image of the Magic Card appeared in the back row.

"'Blast Spear's equipped monster's ATK increases by 400 points," Zhang Ka said, "And, when the equipped monster attacks a Defense Position monster, if the ATK exceeds the DEF, it deals piercing damage."

The examiner understood: "So that's it. By equipping it to increase ATK in one go, are you going to break through the defensive monster and deal piercing damage to me?"

But Millennium Shield has a full 3000 points of defense; breaking through it isn't that easy, let alone dealing effective damage.

To pierce through Millennium Shield and finish the kill directly, this student would need to stack 5900 points of ATK in one go, which is almost impossible...

"Who said I was going to equip it to my monster?"

Zhang Ka smiled slightly and pointed at the Millennium Shield on the opponent's field.

"The target I want to equip is... 'Millennium Shield'!"

【Millennium Shield, ATK 0→ATK 400】

Examiner: "?"

Equipping the opponent's monster? What does that mean?

Could it be that you think this game requires not only knowing how to allocate resources for yourself but also how to allocate resources for the opponent?

"Then activate Quick-Play Magic 'Mystical Space Typhoon', which can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field," Zhang Ka said, "What I want to destroy is the 'Blast Spear' on my own field."

Examiner: "??"

He understood this confusing operation less and less.

It couldn't be that he thought he was already safe and was giving him two cards as a sign of friendship, right?

A black whirlwind swept the Magic Card in Zhang Ka's back row into mid-air, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, shattering it into pieces.

"What you're doing is meaningless," the examiner couldn't help but say, "Even if you do this, my Millennium Shield will..."

"Nani!!?"

He widened his eyes, incomparably shocked to see that his field was empty at some point.

Millennium Shield was gone.

No...

Where is my shield?

Where did such a big shield go?

He really couldn't help but ask out loud: "Where did my shield go?"

Zhang Ka smiled: "I sent it to another dimension."

Examiner: "???"

What the hell? Do you believe I'll send you to another dimension?

Seeing the examiner on the verge of a red-faced explosion again, Zhang Ka patiently explained: "Equip Magic 'Blast Spear' doesn't just have the ability to increase the equipped monster's ATK and grant piercing effects; it also has a side effect, teacher.

That is, when this card leaves the field, the monster it was equipped to is banished from the game."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd watching the duel was in an uproar.

"This magic that grants buffs to the opponent's monster, and then using the side effect to banish the monster..." Asuka's expression was complex, "How should I put it? It is indeed very powerful, it's just..."

She couldn't find a suitable description for a moment.

But what she thought in her heart, summarized over and over, was probably just two words.

Underworld.

"That's the feeling, it really is a tactic this guy would think of."

Although Manjoume was taken aback by this combo at first glance, he quickly accepted this setting.

Well, because the one standing on the opposite side is a dog, after all.

Thinking of such a tactic and such a usage seems to be a matter of course.

Zhang Ka calmly revealed two more cards.

"Equip Magic 'Axe of Despair', Equip Magic 'United We Stand' activated, equipping them to 'Mahaama' respectively."

The black magician on the field slowly opened her eyes, an axe with a demon head floated beside her, and golden magic enveloped her whole body.

"'Axe of Despair's effect, increases the equipped monster's ATK by 1000 points.

'United We Stand's effect, increases ATK by 500 points for every Magic or Trap card on your field. I have two Equip cards on my field, so it increases by 1000 points.

The two Equip cards increase ATK by a total of 2000 points."

【Mahaama, ATK 1550→ATK 3550】

"Then it's 'Mahaama's own effect!" Zhang Ka pointed at the magician on the field, "For every card equipped to her, this card's ATK increases by 500.

Because a total of two cards are equipped, the ATK increases by another 1000."

【Mahaama, ATK 3550→ATK 4550】

A wave of exclamations erupted in the exam hall again.

"ATK 4550!?"

A certain examinee who hadn't played yet, Sho Marufuji, was stunned: "It's higher than the legendary Obelisk... no, it's even higher than the ATK of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

It was also the ceiling of ATK that had appeared in this entire exam hall today.

"Can this guy reach such a high ATK so easily?"

Lackey B almost fell out of his seat.

Manjoume wasn't very surprised, but his expression only became more gloomy.

Yes, he had seen it long ago; that dog didn't just know how to pit people.

Manjoume had long suspected that this pitting people was just because he liked it.

Or rather, messing with people's mentality was also part of his tactics.

However, in fact, even if you put this part aside, this guy...

is also very strong.

Because a little thought would tell you that the examiner had no cards left to play and no defensive means, and piercing through Millennium Shield would have been a kill anyway. But he just wouldn't.

Clearly, he felt that a duel where the examiner's Millennium Shield was sent to another dimension was happier.

"Mahaama," Zhang Ka said, "Attack directly."

【Examiner, LP2900→LP0】

(End of chapter)