Virt hadn't expected his opponent to be Scott at all!
After watching Dark's match, he was fired up and looking forward to his own duel.
But why did his opponent have to be Scott?
...
Watching Scott enter from the blue side's area, Virt couldn't help but ask Robert, "Robert, what should I do now?"
Robert looked baffled. "What do you mean, what should you do? This is a duel! Of course you fight to the bitter end!"
Virt: "..."
Virt quickly realized he had asked the wrong person.
Ever since the Christmas ball, Scott had become his guide, and their relationship had steadily improved.
Especially after their perilous adventure in the secret passage, they could be called companions who had been through "life and death" together.
But Robert and Scott's relationship hadn't grown closer at all.
Virt had always believed that people could change, that if you made a mistake and learned from it, that was a good thing.
But he found that Robert didn't think that way.
No, that wasn't right either. Perhaps Robert just drew a very clear line between friend and foe.
Generous to his friends.
Ruthless to his enemies.
But Senior Scott hadn't really done anything too terrible to him, had he?
Virt was completely bewildered.
Robert, however, just sneered inwardly.
People grow up.
Robert wasn't the same loudmouth he had been at the start of the school year.
Seeing that Virt was still hesitating, Robert said, seemingly casually, "Go on, the professors are all watching."
Only then did it dawn on Virt.
Right, the professors are watching.
If he went easy or put on an act during the duel, the professors would surely see through it, and his score might be even lower.
Better to give it my all!
...
As they reached the edge of the arena, Virt and Scott came face to face.
They weren't officially acquainted, but since the cult was planning to become more legitimate, there was no need to maintain the same secretive atmosphere as before.
The two greeted each other, and Scott said with a wry smile, "I really didn't expect my first opponent to be you. I was hoping that with first-years participating in the recruitment tournament, I'd be lucky enough to get one or two easier opponents."
Virt's smile was even more bitter than his. "Senior Scott, if you put it that way, you're actually already very lucky. Because I am one of those two easy opponents..."
Scott quickly said, "Don't be so self-deprecating, you're the Son of the Hero. By the way, how is your research on the Holy Sword Charm coming along?"
At the mention of the Holy Sword Charm, Virt's face lit up.
The Holy Sword Charm was an advanced, general-purpose spell. It was one of the rare high-level spells that could be inscribed onto a Magic Guide Card without requiring the user to have a complete knowledge of the magical language.
Of course, it was a special case; aside from a small handful of people who could conjure powerful weapons with it, it was useless for everyone else even if they learned it.
Virt felt that if he could thoroughly study this [Holy Sword Charm] left by his father and refine it into a card, his strength would definitely rise to another level!
But that was for the future.
His current strength...
Although it had improved.
He didn't know by how much.
In the last in-class tournament, he didn't even make it to the top eight.
During the secret passage incident, he had barely done anything.
These facts made him see himself clearly.
However, facing Scott, he still had some confidence...
...
"Will both players please enter the arena immediately!"
The referee's prompting interrupted their off-stage conversation.
They exchanged a look and walked toward their respective player platforms.
As he stepped onto the platform, Virt saw that his Knight House classmates were still watching him. He steadied himself, deciding it was best to do everything he could to win.
On the other side, Scott had already decided to go all out.
If second-year students couldn't join the Dueling Club by the start of the new semester, they would miss out on many opportunities.
Of course, some people had plenty of opportunities and didn't care about missing a few, so they could choose not to join.
But Scott couldn't.
"Recruitment tournament, win or lose doesn't matter. Just try to show what you can do, get a high evaluation, or at least a passing grade!"
Scott set a goal for himself and then activated the dueling table.
...
At the judges' seats.
Professor Fox still hadn't recovered from the previous match.
But upon noticing that the Son of the Hero was entering the arena, he still remarked, "I know now that young Demon in your class is indeed impressive, but what about young Gold? He does have talent, doesn't he?"
Professor Jones's eyes flickered as she said casually, "You mean Virt? He had almost zero foundation when he enrolled, but he's caught up now."
Professor Fox was an old hand and immediately sensed that something was off.
This reinvigorated him. He sat up straight, his expression regaining its composure. "That student over there is named Scott, a student from Noble House. His grades are very poor."
Having said that, Professor Fox said no more.
A hint was enough.
He knew the game very well!
The corner of Professor Jones's mouth twitched. She couldn't help but look toward the arena, praying that Virt would make her proud!
...
The professors' subtle rivalry didn't have much effect on the students.
Since it was a match between two different years, the first-years naturally hoped Virt would win.
Diana asked with a curious expression, "Dark, who do you think will win?"
Dark answered without hesitation, "It should be Virt. After all, Senior Scott is too weak."
Diana: "Eh, is he that weak?"
Dark nodded. "Probably even a little weaker than your previous opponent."
Diana: "Oh, then he's really quite weak."
But she didn't know that Dark was still being charitable with his words.
A person's evaluation of others is somewhat dependent on what they have personally seen and heard.
Dark's understanding of Scott's strength was based on two encounters.
One was on Traveler's Street.
At that time, Scott had been tailing him because of the flower cards, but he ended up getting beaten up by Virt and Robert.
Another time was during the Halloween event.
Scott's Three-Eyed Squid was sent flying by a single kick from Senior Mari!
That scene had actually left a very deep impression on Dark.
So he subconsciously thought Scott was very weak.
But in reality, Scott and Virt had fought one other time.
At that time, Scott, teamed up with "Pufferfish," had successfully defeated the team of Virt and Robert, taking them as spoils of war into the temple.
Of course, all that was last year.
Young Magi grow very quickly; true growth can happen in the blink of an eye.
So the outcome of their match would only be known after they fought.
...
Having already spoken off-stage, Virt and Scott didn't say much more after entering the arena.
Private relationships were private relationships.
Once the duel started, there was only the red side and the blue side.
As the words [Preparation Phase] appeared above the dueling table.
Both duelists placed their decks into the card slots, and the cards were shuffled automatically.
After the shuffling was complete, the [30s] countdown to the right of the [Preparation Phase] began to tick.
Both duelists immediately drew their opening hands!
...
After drawing his five cards, Virt fanned them out.
"I didn't draw Troll!"
The moment his eyes swept over the cards, Virt's heart sank.
[Troll] was the most core three-star Magic Guide Spirit Card in his twenty-card deck!
With [Troll], he had a backbone.
The second most important was [Radiant Giant Python]!
And outside of his Magic Guide Spirit cards, the core card was undoubtedly [Forbidden Love].
The Magic Guide Cards in his hand couldn't form a system yet; he could only rely on raw power to overwhelm his opponents.
But at the same time, he didn't have any second-tier Magic Guide Spirit cards, so he lacked the capital to duel against upperclassmen.
However, from what he knew, Scott hadn't refined any second-tier Magic Guide Spirits either.
So in terms of high-end power, both sides were on the same level.
But in his current five-card hand.
There was no [Troll], no [Radiant Giant Python], and not even [Forbidden Love]!
His luck could be said to be extremely bad.
Virt's gaze swept to the [Phantasmal Beast: Stag] on the edge, a one-star Magic Guide Spirit card that he could only hold onto for now.
Among the other four Magic Guide Cards, one was [Magic Bullet Charm], one was [Magic Recovery Potion], and the other two were newly refined Magic Guide Spirit cards.
"I can only choose between these two Magic Guide Spirits."
"Survive the first round, and bet my hopes on the next draw!"
...
[Battle Phase] [30s]
...
Virt's normal summon speed had been compressed to six seconds. Though not as fast as Dark's, it was a point of pride for him.
Even Emma was a little slower than him.
As for Scott's normal summon speed...
In short, after Virt successfully summoned his first Magic Guide Spirit, he was still chanting.
A choice between two.
Virt chose the one with higher attack and defense.
But this was merely picking the best of a bad bunch.
The Magic Guide Spirit that appeared in the summoning zone was a Two-Headed Ogre with two heads!
...
[Card Name: Two-Headed Ogre]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ★★]
[Race: Demi-human]
[Attribute: Dark]
[Magic: 600]
[Attack: 900]
[Defense: 700]
[Finishing Move: Dual Focus]
...
[Q: Why can the foolish Two-Headed Ogre maintain dual focus?]
[A: Because it has two heads.]
...
The blue-skinned Two-Headed Ogre held a stone hammer in one hand and a spiked club in the other—truly a "dual wielder"!
As soon as it appeared, it waved its two weapons and charged toward the opposing Magic Orb.
Virt was certain that Scott hadn't learned the technique to remotely control the Magic Orb, so he wasn't worried about it suddenly running away.
But the Two-Headed Ogre's short legs were indeed a bit slow, and as it ran, it would sometimes lift the same foot at the same time, like in a three-legged race, and then fall flat on its butt.
"Splat!"
That was one solid fall!
Virt couldn't help but cover his face.
At the same time, a beam of light shot into the blue summoning zone.
Emerging from the light was Scott's signature Magic Guide Spirit—the Three-Eyed Squid!
A giant squid with three eyes. Although it had been sent flying by a kick from Senior Mari, it was, in fact, a three-star Magic Guide Spirit!
...
[Card Name: Three-Eyed Squid]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ★★★]
[Race: Fish]
[Attribute: Water]
[Magic: 1200]
[Attack: 1100]
[Defense: 700]
[Finishing Move: Constrict, Ink Jet]
...
The classification of aquatic creatures in this world was very vague. For example, mammals like seals were considered Avian Beasts, while marine mollusks like squids, cuttlefish, and octopuses were classified as Fish.
But in reality, none of them are fish!
...
Although Scott lost out on summoning speed, the Magic Guide Spirit he summoned was clearly stronger than the comically clumsy Two-Headed Ogre.
"Three-Eyed Squid, grab it!"
Scott's tone was excited.
Hearing the command, the Three-Eyed Squid immediately lunged at the Two-Headed Ogre—just a bit slowly!
After all, squids are marine creatures; it's perfectly normal for them to move slowly on land.
While it was struggling to move, the Two-Headed Ogre had already scrambled back to its feet, raised its weapons, and charged over, howling!
"Don't!"
Just as Virt cried out, the Two-Headed Ogre had already entered the Three-Eyed Squid's attack range.
Two tentacles shot out simultaneously, tightly wrapping around the Two-Headed Ogre's arms and then violently hoisting it into the air!
With its feet off the ground and its hands bound, the Two-Headed Ogre was completely helpless.
"Finish it!"
Scott gave the command without hesitation.
Almost instantly, the Three-Eyed Squid's tentacles pierced the Two-Headed Ogre's chest, tearing it in half!
Amidst a scream, the Two-Headed Ogre turned into light.
Virt's expression changed slightly, but he remained relatively calm.
The Three-Eyed Squid's slow movement gave him time to summon a second Magic Guide Spirit.
It was a giant pigeon with a golden crown on its head!
...
[Card Name: Pigeon King]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ★★]
[Race: Avian Beast]
[Attribute: Flying/Light]
[Magic: 800]
[Attack: 500]
[Defense: 400]
[Finishing Move: Healing Wave]
...
The Pigeon King, with a wingspan of over two meters, swooped down from the sky, retracted its claws, and grabbed the red side's Magic Orb's life barrier.
Then, to Scott's astonishment, it soared into the sky!
This was the last tactic Virt could think of.
In the last in-class tournament, more than one person had used a similar tactic.
He was just copying what he had seen.
Scott looked up at the fat pigeon, unable to resist complaining in his head.
Although this tactic was shameless, sometimes it was truly unbeatable!
"Good thing I refined a new Magic Guide Spirit..."
He drew a two-star Magic Guide Spirit card from his hand and quickly summoned it!
A brilliant white light shot out from the card, and a Magic Guide Spirit materialized within the light.
It was a vermilion Barn Owl!
...
[Card Name: Barn Owl]
[Type: Spirit Card]
[Level: ★★]
[Race: Avian Beast]
[Attribute: Flying]
[Magic: 600]
[Attack: 700]
[Defense: 500]
[Finishing Move: None]
...
A mere two-star vanilla [Barn Owl] would be considered a useless card in an upperclassman's deck.
But Scott wasn't the kind of top student who had resources to spare.
To compensate for his inability to remotely control his Magic Orb, he had no choice but to include flying-type Magic Guide Spirits in his deck.
Now.
It was coming in handy!
________________________________________
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