He abandoned that hero dream almost instantly. The monster lineup consisted mostly of the infamous four weak HEROes, and there were only two or three copies of Polymerization in stock. The rest of the deck was filled with strange, dedicated support cards.
There were items like Spark Blaster, Feather Shot, and Blazing Mirror Force, along with many cards that even Judai Yuki had only used once in the anime before they vanished. The overall impression was confusion rather than power. It was hard to see the point of half the cards.
A quick glance told him this was not a Deck an ordinary person could handle. Almost every spell and trap required a specific HERO normal monster to function. Even if forced together, each combo had such narrow use cases that real matches would be plagued by dead hands.
That made Judai Yuki's early dominance with such cards even more impressive. Clearing out most of Duel Academy with them was an achievement that left nearly all Duelists far behind. It was not something skill alone could easily explain.
Elemental HEROes were off the table for now. Yugen continued browsing without regret. There were still other options to explore.
Soon, he noticed a prebuilt deck based on the LV Series machine deck used by Sho Marufuji, Judai Yuki's close friend. His eyes lit up immediately as he opened the card list. Interest replaced hesitation.
In the current environment, Sho's machine Deck was not considered a Rare Card build. Even in the real card game, it had remained mediocre for years and never achieved strong competitive results. It was generally treated as a niche fun deck.
However, this deck contained one particular card that Sho had used in the anime. Nearly twenty years later, Kaiba Corporation still treated it as a famous card from the anime. It was a true early-era miracle.
Just as expected. Yugen immediately locked onto that specific card within the Deck and bought the entire bundle without hesitation. There was no option to purchase individual cards.
The deck could only be bought as a complete set, but that was fine. It was not expensive, and in the current environment, buying the whole thing just for that one card was still worth it. The value justified the choice.
The card was Electromagnetic Turtle, Level 4, with 0 attack and 1800 defense. Its effect allowed it to be discarded from the hand to reduce direct attack damage to zero once. While in the graveyard, it could do the same thing one more time (ANIME EFFECT).
This card was printed in real life. In the real card game, it could be banished from the Graveyard during the opponent's Battle Phase to end the Battle Phase once per Duel. Acting once as a hand trap and once from the graveyard, it could block two direct attacks by itself, making it an invaluable lifesaver in the GX era where such effects were extremely scarce.
Immersed in the pleasure of buying cards, Yugen completed another round of upgrades. His card pool grew richer, and his Deck options became more flexible. At the same time, the money in his wallet drained at an alarming speed.
In the end, Yugen decided to keep a little cash in reserve instead of spending everything. He logged out of the system and let out a soft sigh, gazing up at the sky. The truth settled in with quiet clarity.
The saying from veteran players really was right. Without money, there was no way to play Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Somewhere in the City lay hidden within the city, yet it felt cut off from the rest of the world. The path led through Narrow, Gloomy Alley and ended at Dead End, a place only those who knew the right way could enter. At the end stood a bar that never appeared on ordinary maps.
Soft lights cast broken shadows across the room, and the air carried the smell of alcohol and tobacco mixed with something heavier. An old Phonograph played a strange tune, each note seeming to sink into the shadows instead of fading away. An unseen darkness hung over the entire space.
This bar was a gathering place for Shadow Duelists. It was not the only one of its kind, but it was among the more active hubs. To the public, Shadow Duel was still treated as rumor, much like how even Judai Yuki once dismissed its existence, yet years after the DM era, Underground Network tied to Shadow Duel had quietly formed across the world.
Members of Shadow Duelists were scattered like killers who could not stand the light. Many worked as freelancers who took contracts through the Underground Network, taking money to carry out tasks. There were also organizations that gathered such people together under a shared banner.
This trend was almost inevitable. Shadow Duel was simply too efficient, far surpassing traditional assassination or espionage methods. A card duel could erase a target without a single bullet or trace, and with added restrictions, even the remains could be broken down until nothing was left.
Their work went beyond killing. By wagering lives in cards against those in key positions, they could force out secrets or bend powerful figures into obedience. In response, the upper class began to take this threat seriously, and important figures either mastered dueling themselves or hired Duel Bodyguards to stay close.
The bar called "Blood Moon" was one such organization. The bartender was a woman with crimson eyes and a striking figure, and she showed no reluctance in displaying her natural advantages. During meetings, most eyes stayed on her even though she barely spoke.
At the counter, a man in a suit finished his drink and set the glass down. "We have lost a colleague," he said calmly.
"Oh." "That's a shame." "What a pity."
Voices offered brief condolences, though no one looked away from the bartender. She continued to swirl the glass in her hand, her practiced movements drawing a low murmur from the crowd. The suited man frowned. "We lost one of our own. Could you at least pretend to care?"
Someone replied, "You say that, but you keep looking too." After a short pause, the man answered honestly, "I can't help it." Laughter spread through the bar.
"But seriously," the suited man said in a lower voice, "Onizuka was my Sworn Brothers. We knew each other before joining. I can't just act like nothing happened."
A man with parted hair tried to console him. "We all know the rules. Win and you live, lose and you die. After so many duels, that's just how it is. Onizuka understood that better than anyone."
Another added, "And do you even know who did it? Everyone in this line of work has enemies."
Before leaving headquarters, Onizuka had been drinking with him the night before. He had mentioned rumors that the Legendary Duelist Rex Raptor was planning a return. Onizuka was interested, since as a fellow dinosaur user, he had always wanted to test himself against Rex Raptor.
"That's a Legendary Duelist," the parted-hair man said. "Have you really thought this through, Fujimoto? Onizuka wasn't weak. If even he couldn't win…"
"He never beat me either," Fujimoto replied with a faint smile. He stubbed out his cigarette and looked upward through the drifting smoke. "A man reaches a point where he has to move forward. As a Duelist, if I never challenge the strong, how can I improve?"
The other man narrowed his eyes. "If you're that ambitious, why not challenge Yugi Muto?" Fujimoto froze, then answered after a long pause. "Yugi Muto is too strong."
He was talking about growth, not throwing his life away. Knowing the chance was zero and still going would be meaningless. With a sigh, Fujimoto drifted into memory.
"Onizuka and I were both cast aside by the dueling world. We met in underground duels, and I promised him that if anything happened, I would take care of his family. I never thought he would leave so suddenly, without even a child, only a gentle and beautiful girlfriend waiting for me to look after."
A large man patted his shoulder. "Don't be too sad. If Onizuka can see this, he would be relieved to have a brother like you." "You're right," Fujimoto said, nodding.