Chapter 48: A Bountiful Haul
Chapter 48: A Bountiful Haul
Kaiba finished his business and quickly left, leaving Yuxuan and Kyu Ping to continue on to the Kaiba Corporation branch.
When they left, Yuxuan was carrying a large box filled with cards.
Yuxuan thought that even if he didn't need them all, it would be a good option to sell them and make some money.
After carefully selecting the cards, Yuxuan categorized them into three types.
The first type consisted of generic cards that he estimated still held some value in the current meta. However, there weren't any rare cards in this category, and the most expensive ones were similar to the "Holy Barrier Mirror Force."
The second type included cards that seemed useless at first glance but could be combined in specific ways or used in particular situations to great effect. Some cards might feel like dead draws most of the time, but once one mastered the art of drawing engines, these cards could provide ingenious solutions that generic cards couldn't match.
The third type was purely expensive and useless, similar to many of the cards in Yuxuan's original deck when he first traveled back in time.
Of course, he had sold the expensive and useless normal monsters from his original deck as soon as he arrived, using the money from the sale and the gym's subsidy to fund his endeavors before the Moon Cup competition. Now, he intended to follow the same strategy, choosing only the expensive cards and selling them to buy the cards he needed later.
Thus, this trip had been quite fruitful. Among the cards he chose, the ones that immediately caught his eye as powerful included the following:
【Blood Tribute, Continuous Trap Card
Effect: Pay 500 Life Points to Normal Summon a monster. This effect can be activated during either your Main Phase or your opponent's Battle Phase.】
This card was a well-known, long-time banned card, and everyone in the Duel Monsters world knew that any card that remained on the Forbidden List for years was a testament to its power. These cards were all incredibly skilled, and there wasn't a single one that wasn't formidable.
However, this card was officially banned in 2014, and while it was restricted in the physical card game during the GX era, it was a prime example of a card with a seemingly simple and brutal effect that became increasingly dominant in later metas.
【Executioner of Magic - Majuub, Level 4, ATK 1600
Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard, its owner can activate a Trap Card from their hand.】
This card was also a long-time banned card, but unlike the previous one, it had its effect nerfed years later in reality, allowing it to be unbanned. Its power was undeniable, and the length of its ban was a testament to its glory.
【Lava Golem, Level 8, ATK 3000
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 2 monsters on your opponent's field, and cannot be Special Summoned other ways. During the turn this card is Special Summoned, your opponent cannot Normal Summon/Set. The controller of this card pays 1000 Life Points during their Standby Phase.】
There was no need for further introduction to this card. Since its first appearance in the ancient anime in the hands of the six-year-old Malik, it had become the founding father of the Tribute Summoning strategy. While it lacked the glamorous history of being banned like the previous two cards, it was still occasionally seen in modern Duel Monsters metas, and even gods couldn't stop it.
Especially when your opponent spends three minutes setting up two big monsters with maxed-out defensive capabilities, only to have them devoured by Lava Golem during your turn, their expression could bring joy to the underworld for an entire week.
It was a card that brought great happiness.
Filled with the joy of his bountiful harvest, Yuxuan left the building with the box in hand, satisfied. However, just before leaving, Kyu Ping gave him a strange look.
"Am I imagining things, or do you seem to have a preference for Malik's cards?"
Yuxuan pondered this.
He hadn't noticed it himself, but now that Kyu Ping mentioned it, it seemed to be true.
Well, Malik, the sunny boy, indeed had a forward-thinking mindset, and this extended to his sister and servant, Rishid. Those tomb-guarding trio were all formidable in their own right.
A bunch of ancient underworld cards had come from their family, indicating their deep roots in the game.
This realization suddenly gave Yuxuan another idea.
Mr. Ishtar's family had successfully completed their family mission of sending the Pharaoh back to the underworld in the DM finale, after which they retired from the Duel Monsters world and never reappeared.
Of course, this is just a thought for now. The Tomb-Keepers have disappeared without a trace, who knows where they are now.
By the way, Yu Xuan was also very interested in the new Duel Disk that the President showed off today, and he also asked Kyu Ping if he had one.
Unfortunately, it seemed that it was not for sale.
Apparently, it was classified as a "weapon system," so it couldn't be sold to the public.
Yu Xuan thought that this reasoning made sense. If anyone could buy a Duel Disk that could physically summon monsters for attacks, then traditional firearms would seem weak in comparison.
"However, the latest model of the Duel Disk is available, and it's also a pre-release version." Kyu Ping smiled, "Of course, it doesn't have the weapon system."
And so, Yu Xuan happily acquired a new Duel Disk.
Yu Xuan, with his arms full of loot, planned to go back and take stock of his haul tonight. He would put the cards he wanted to sell on the Academy's trading platform. He also wanted to review the insights he had gained over the past few days and adjust his deck with the new cards.
Through these days of dueling and reflection, Yu Xuan had started to discover something.
He wasn't sure if it was due to his innate talent as a card expert from his previous life or purely because of the sprite's enhancement.
But Yu Xuan felt that he had gained a certain degree of "destiny power."
It was an intangible feeling that he had concluded through actual duels and repeated testing.
Although he didn't seem to have the exaggerated luck of anime protagonists who could take out several opponents with a single move, he also didn't dare to mix multiple unrelated systems into one deck like them. However, he believed that he could achieve a decent level of drawing the right cards at the right time.
Based on his own speculation, which may not be entirely accurate, he estimated that his skill level was comparable to that of a top-tier duelist in the martial arts world, or an average duelist from the Duel Academy arc.
It might seem ordinary, but for a card expert, it was enough for him to make some bold adjustments to his deck-building strategy.
For example, at the most basic level, he felt that he could now try to break a habit that had formed over the years—
—He could expand his deck to more than forty cards.
As night fell, a helicopter slowly descended towards the coastline of the city. Like a giant steel eagle, it gently touched the ground, its propellers whirring in the night sky, emitting a low hum.
A blond-haired man, with sunglasses and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, jumped off the helicopter nonchalantly, his hands tucked into his pockets.
He took out his phone and dialed a number, casually blowing two smoke rings while waiting for the call to connect.
The call went through quickly.
"It's me," the man drawled, "I've landed."
"Good. Our people have already scouted the ruins and gathered some basic intelligence. We'll send it to you before tonight."
"Alright."
The blond man took a deep drag on his cigarette.
The voice on the other end of the line said coldly, "Be careful. I just received a report that 'Blood Moon' has been taken care of."
The blond man paused, "Who?"
"'Blood Moon', a dark duelist group under our organization."
"Oh, they're just cannon fodder. Do you think they can be compared to me?" The blond man laughed mockingly.
"The report says that Kaiba himself took care of them." The voice on the phone replied coldly.
The man's smile instantly vanished.
"Kaiba is in the city?"
"It seems so. That's why I'm telling you to be careful and not get caught."
"Pfft, even if I get caught, I want to see how I measure up to Kaiba now. I'm a completely different person from who I was back then." The blond man huffed.
"The mission takes priority." The voice on the phone said flatly, "Don't die."
"Alright, alright, I got it."
The blond man grumbled a few more curses, hung up the phone, and stubbed out his cigarette.
"Kaiba Seto, what a nuisance."
(End of Chapter)
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