Chapter 86: Teacher, I Want to Learn Alchemy
Chapter 86: Teacher, I Want to Learn Alchemy
The second week at Duel Academy was coming to an end, and the inter-house duels between Yellow Dorm and the other houses were finally wrapping up.
You Xuan had dueled just about everyone he wanted to, although he still felt a bit unsatisfied. Even now, as the second week drew to a close, he occasionally spotted students from Yellow Dorm wrapping up their duels in the residential area.
You Xuan would sometimes stop to watch these duels. Overall, while he had "educated" quite a few students in the ways of dueling over the past two weeks, there didn't seem to be a significant spread of his "dark influence," unlike what had happened at the gym.
After all, the students who made it into the academy were already considered the elite duelists, each with their own sense of pride and attachment to their decks, setting them apart from the gym trainees.
As he walked by, he overheard a student from Yellow Dorm declare, "My turn! Draw! I play four cards face-down, and that's the end of my turn!"
You Xuan: "."
Suddenly, he felt like he had seen this playout somewhere before.
Well, surprises were always around the corner.
Without commenting on anything else, You Xuan noticed that the students from Yellow Dorm seemed to be favoring Dark-Attribute monsters more frequently these days. Although no one was outright copying his deck or strategies, they were still sticking to their own personalized decks and key cards. However, there was an undeniable shift towards the darkness, a subtle gravitation towards the underworld.
If this trend continued and there were future opportunities for large-scale inter-dorm duels, the students from the other two dorms... No, if this went even further...
If the spread of his "dark influence" continued unabated, eventually engulfing the entire Duel Academy, what would happen when Saiou, the legendary duelist, paid a visit? He might shake his head in disappointment and leave within a week, declaring this place too shrouded in darkness even for his power of light to save.
And when the Yu-Belix chapter arrived, sending the entire academy into another dimension, the narrative might shift from "the students and teachers' arduous survival in a foreign world" to "the underworld apocalypse unleashed upon the otherworldly dimension."
You Xuan reflected on this possibility and concluded that if such a day ever came, it certainly wouldn't be his fault.
After all, the game of Duel Monsters was inherently a game where only one person could play, while the other could only watch.
Such was the nature of dueling.
In the afternoon, it was time for Alchemy class.
Even before the second week had ended, the number of students attending Alchemy class had visibly dwindled by a quarter.
This wasn't surprising, though. To most students, alchemy seemed like a vague and mystical subject, and they couldn't quite grasp its relevance to dueling.
On top of that, the teacher, Daidoshi, seemed like an easy-going pushover. He never took attendance, didn't seem to care how many students skipped class, and would simply lecture to whoever was there and then leave at the end of the period. So, Alchemy had earned a reputation as the easiest class to breeze through.
However, Daidoshi had also noticed that despite his laid-back demeanor, there was one student from Yellow Dorm, You Xuan, who always sat up straight and took diligent notes. The level of focus and dedication he displayed was unparalleled in the entire classroom.
This level of concentration made Daidoshi question himself—
—Could my lectures really be that interesting?
Not only that, but this student even approached him after class to ask questions!
In all his years at Duel Academy, Daidoshi had never encountered such an enthusiastic student. Even the model students of the year, Tenjoin Asuka and Marufuji Ryou, had only shown him respect and attentiveness during class. None had ever displayed such a passionate interest in alchemy.
"Teacher, I found the first lesson so fascinating that I went to the school library and researched a lot of related materials," You Xuan said as he intercepted Daidoshi in the corridor outside the classroom. He even had a list of questions he wanted to ask.
"I found clues in many texts. The development of alchemy in ancient Egypt, the excavation of contemporaneous ruins and artifacts, and other things... I've compiled them here, Teacher. Please take a look and tell me if I'm on the right track."
Daidoshi, with one hand holding his chubby cat, "Pharaoh," and the other taking the list from You Xuan, squinted at it through his narrow eyes.
"All the clues point to the connection between alchemy and Duel Monsters since ancient times, don't they, Teacher? Is that why our academy offers alchemy courses?"
Daidoshi carefully examined the excerpts from the literature You Xuan had compiled and then studied him through his glasses for a moment. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Well, well... What do we have here? Young You Xuan, you're quite the eager learner, aren't you?" He paused, stroking his chin. "You know, there are indeed many theories that suggest a strong link between the origins of alchemy and Duel Monsters. But that's just one school of thought. The academic community is still divided on this matter."
He was putting on an act.
You Xuan was well aware that Daidoshi was giving him the official line because this was, indeed, a matter of ongoing debate in the academic world. However, in the anime, Daidoshi had unequivocally told Judai (Jaden in the English version) before his death that he firmly believed the ultimate answer to alchemy lay within Duel Monsters, and he considered Judai a naturally gifted alchemist.
"I also read a lot of textbooks and introductions to alchemy, and I noticed that alchemy and 'Fusion Summoning' seem very similar, Teacher," You Xuan continued humbly.
"This is just my personal opinion, so please don't mind me if I'm wrong. But I feel that the alchemical processes described in the books, where two seemingly ordinary monsters are fused to create a new and powerful entity... Isn't that process of creating Fusion Monsters similar to turning lead into gold, a miracle in itself?"
Daidoshi: "!?!"
The Oscar-worthy Daidoshi couldn't hide his astonishment, and his perpetually squinted eyes almost popped open in surprise.
He couldn't help but be amazed because this student's words struck a deep chord within him. These were the very insights he had gained through his years of research as an alchemist, insights he had never shared with anyone or discussed in class.
For this student to have reached such similar conclusions through self-study and research was remarkable.
But, of course, it made perfect sense.
You Xuan had heard these theories from none other than Daidoshi himself, back in the Seven Stars chapter of the anime. While he had forgotten the exact words, the essence was the same.
Perhaps for the first time in front of a student, Daidoshi dropped his usual goofy and timid facade and squinted at You Xuan with a serious gaze.
"Fujiki You Xuan, is it? You have a keen interest in alchemy?"
"Yes, Teacher," You Xuan replied earnestly. "I hope to continue learning from you in the future."
The cat was out of the bag. He wanted to learn alchemy from the academy's top alchemist, hidden in plain sight.
(End of Chapter)
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