"Instructor, I want to be the class representative too!"
Everyone turned in surprise when they saw Chuck raise his hand.
They had forgotten that he was the last one to enter the classroom and had no idea just how overwhelming Alicia's aura and magic had been moments ago.
His fellow countryman, Klein, at once leaned over and whispered urgently, "Chuck, put your hand down! That 'Nameless One' is already a Great Magician-level duelist. She's not someone we can handle right now!"
Chuck seized up, astonished, but even then he refused to lower his hand. Instead, he looked straight at Instructor White and declared loudly, "Instructor, I want to be the class representative too!!"
Alicia—or rather, Yuui, who was currently in control of her body—smiled faintly at Chuck.
Yuui: "I was just thinking it would be boring if no one challenged you. Good thing someone did. This way, you can get some practice in too."
Alicia: "Huh? Yuui-san, what do you mean by that!?"
Meanwhile, Instructor White smiled approvingly from the podium. "Since only Chuck and Alicia are willing to take on the position of class representative, the two of you will decide it with a duel!"
Alicia: "Eh... (.>︿<) Wait, wait, even a class representative can be decided by a duel?
"Of course! Everything is settled by dueling. If you want to be class representative, the same rule applies!" Yuui said with a soft laugh.
A few minutes later, the students of Class 1-E gathered on the open ground in front of the academy building, the same place where the Dean had battled the Three Sacred Beasts just days ago.
The area had since been leveled and repaved with smooth stone tiles, leaving no trace of the battle that had once determined the fate of the entire academy.
Now, Alicia and Chuck stood opposite each other, while the other students watched eagerly from the sidelines, waiting for the duel to begin.
Moments later, Instructor White emerged from the building and handed Chuck a bronze Duel Bracelet.
Chuck accepted it, strapped it onto his wrist, and infused it with magic. Instantly, the bracelet unfolded into a Duel Disk.
Then, White stepped between the two and said, "This duel will determine who becomes Class 1-E's representative. Please step forward and exchange decks for shuffling."
The two stepped forward, exchanged decks, shuffled, and then returned them before placing them back into their Duel Disks.
"All right. Both of you, return to your positions and prepare for the duel!"
They obeyed, stepping back into place. With a sharp wave of White's arm, he shouted, "Now then—begin the duel!!"
"Duel!!" x2
[Alicia, LP: 4000]
[Chuck, LP: 4000]
Alicia drew her starting hand of five cards. Before she could even look at them, Yuui's voice sounded softly beside her: "Alicia, this time you're on your own. I won't give you any advice. Consider it a test of your strength."
Without waiting for her response, Yuui retreated back into Alicia's consciousness.
Alicia parted her lips a little, pouting in silence—at that very moment, Chuck shouted from across the field, "My turn! Draw!!"
Startled, Alicia glanced at her Duel Disk and realized it was Chuck who had the first turn.
Chuck skimmed his hand, then slammed one card down at once.
"First, I Normal Summon Hunter with 7 Weapons in Attack Position!"
As the card hit the Duel Disk, seven distinct weapons fell from the sky—an axe, sword, lance, crossbow, sniper rifle, throwing dart, and bomb—followed by a bald man with red-green skin and a scar across his face, landing amidst them.
[Hunter with 7 Weapons] Level 3│EARTH│Warrior│1000 ATK
"Hunter with 7 Weapons' effect activates! When this card is successfully summoned, I declare one monster type. When this card battles a monster of that type, its attack increases by 1000 during damage calculation only. I declare Warrior!"
Instructor White nodded. "Hmm, it seems Chuck knows the general composition of Alicia's Deck. Hunter with 7 Weapons is a card that gains a massive advantage once you know your opponent's monster types. Playing it on the first turn takes some nerve."
"I'm not done yet!" Chuck drew another card and slid it into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Continuous Spell, The A. Forces! As long as this card remains on the field, all Warrior and Spellcaster monsters I control gain 200 Attack for each such monster on my field! I currently control only one Warrior—so Hunter's Attack increases by 200!"
[Hunter with 7 Weapons, ATK: 1000 → 1200]
"Then I Set two cards and end my turn!" Chuck inserted two more cards into his Duel Disk and looked at Alicia warily. "Come on! If you want to be class representative, then defeat me!"
"I don't even want to be class representative. If it weren't for those 50 monthly credits, I wouldn't bother!"
Muttering under her breath, Alicia raised her hand. "My turn! Draw!"
Her eyes brightened as she glanced at the drawn card. Smiling, she placed it onto her Duel Disk. "I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman!"
A surge of water burst from the ground, and a blue-armored hero with a pure white cape and a bat-like mask appeared.
[Elemental HERO Bubbleman] Level 4│WATER│Warrior│800 ATK
"Bubbleman's effect activates! When he is summoned and I control no other cards, I draw two cards!"
After drawing, Alicia smiled and said, "Now I activate the Spell Card Polymerization! I fuse the Elemental HERO Bubbleman on my field with the Elemental HERO Clayman in my hand! Fusion Materials: Bubbleman + Clayman!"
A great vortex swirled open in the sky. The two heroes flew into it as Alicia poured her magic into the summoning circle. "With your sturdy form, build an invincible defense to protect everything I hold dear! Fusion Summon—appear, Elemental HERO Mudballman!!"
Thud!!
A massive gray-and-black giant dropped from the vortex, landing heavily on Alicia's field with a dull crash. Standing nearly four meters tall, its body looked as if forged from solid, iron-like clay, shielding Alicia completely behind it.
[Elemental HERO Mudballman] Level 6│EARTH│Warrior│3000 DEF
"Three thousand Defense!? That high!?"
"No way… there's no breaking through that!"
"Tsk, that girl always uses this kind of tactic!"
"Come on, Chuck, you got this!!"
The Class 1-E students groaned. Those who had witnessed Alicia's duel with Emily Valentine were hit with a strong sense of deja vu.
However, Instructor White wasn't focused on Mudballman at all; he was watching Alicia's magic level.
"She's already reached the level of a Great Magician? I knew she was close, but to break through in just three days... she's not just a genius… she's a monster."
Still, White smiled at the thought of how promising his new student was.
On the field, Alicia inserted two more cards into her Duel Disk. "I Set two cards and end my turn!"
Chuck eyed Mudballman's towering defense and the two face-down cards behind it. "So it really is a defensive counter strategy..."
Defensive counter strategies focused on minimal aggression, waiting for the opponent to strike first, then using Spells, Traps, and monster effects to retaliate when they made a mistake.
From Alicia's previous duels with Kexi Arce and Emily Valentine, it was clear that her monsters generally had low attack points—making this strategy unsurprising.
In fact, she had mastered it well enough to defeat upperclassmen.
Which meant there was only one thing for him to do.
Chuck raised his head and glared at Alicia's delicate face. "Then I'll tear through your defense!!"
...
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