Chapter 28: Our Silent Magician Is Truly Too Strong
Kaiba Land.
The arena, shaped like a White Dragon, had countless small glass mirrors pieced together to form dragon scales, reflecting colorful light. The arena was bustling with people coming and going, the atmosphere lively yet tense.
This was the site of Duel Academy's annual practical entrance examination.
The academy's examination is divided into a written test and a practical test. Only those who pass the written test are eligible to participate in the practical examination. Furthermore, the practical exam's registration number is determined by the written test ranking, and the corresponding difficulty of the examination is also based on the written test results.
The final combined score from the written test and the second round will serve as the admission score. Duel Academy has an elite education system, emphasizing strength in all aspects, from daily life to studies. After admission, students will be assigned dormitories based on their academic performance. The dormitories for excellent students, in addition to luxurious hardware facilities, also offer incomparable dining and service compared to the lower-ranking students.
Of course, course rewards, priority access to rare cards, discount intensity, and so on also differ.
The academy dormitories are divided into three sections, named after the three legendary Egyptian Gods, who stand at the pinnacle of Duel Monsters. The highest-ranking dormitory is "Obelisk Blue," the next is "Ra Yellow," and the worst, most despised bottom-tier dormitory in the entire academy is "Slifer Red."
However, every time he saw this setup, Yugen felt that it was definitely the mastermind of Kaiba Seto, the founder of the academy.
Because in the Duelist Kingdom arc, Obelisk was the Egyptian God that Kaiba himself possessed, while Slifer was the one his rival, Yami Yugi/Atem, had.
So it's imaginable that when Chairman Kaiba was assigning dormitories, he must have been gritting his teeth with a grim expression: "Damn Yugi, after beating me, he just left without a word.
Put Yugi's dorm—no, Slifer Red—in the lowest tier!!!"
Subordinate: "Yes, Chairman!"
"..."
The written test results were out a day earlier. Without any surprises, Yugen casually took first place, meaning he got registration number 001.
When he got this registration number, Yugen recalled something.
He remembered that in the original anime, there was supposed to be a character who was first place. Did he take his spot?
Was it someone named Misawa Daichi? Or something like Chazz Princeton?
Ah, he remembered, Misawa Daichi. But it doesn't matter, anyway, he was just a good-performing background character in his memory, so removing him probably wouldn't affect the plot. Of course, at least he didn't drag Jaden's feet; among the other increasingly useless teammates in GX, he was already considered rare.
Yugen then arrived at the entrance of the examination hall. All examinees must first complete their registration and check-in before entering the arena.
Sitting at the entrance was one of Duel Academy's professors. The health teacher, Emi Ayukawa, wore an Obelisk Blue blazer and a short skirt, crossing her pale legs, which highlighted some voluptuousness.
She belonged to the type of D-rank strong people where, when you try to recall childhood memories, you suddenly realize, "She was that big?!" and start wondering, "Why did I only focus on dueling back then?"
But Yugen's heart was completely unmoved, because his mind was entirely focused on what deck and setup to use for the exam later, and how to duel.
Determined duelists are single-minded. With no self in their heart, they can be fearless; with cards in their heart, they can unite with their cards.
"Name?"
"Fujiki Yugen."
"Registration number?"
"001."
"You're this year's number one, aren't you? Impressive."
Professor Emi smiled warmly.
Seeing a somewhat handsome student seemed to lighten her mood.
"Alright, register your usual deck," Professor Emi said gently.
She had voluntarily applied for this student registration duty, curious to see what this year's new batch of entrants were like.
This year's first-place candidate so far had left a very good impression on her. Not only did he have excellent grades, but he also looked good, and he clearly seemed like a polite and elegant child, surely a bright young man.
"Do I have to register my deck too?" This was something Yugen hadn't expected.
Duelists in this world do seem to have their signature decks, and ace monsters that symbolize their identity. However, Yugen thought that to prevent being studied and countered, his deck structure was always changing. He was still planning to decide what kind of structure to use after entering the arena and observing the examiner's deck situation.
Could it be that once registered here, it can't be changed?
"Student?" Professor Emi tilted her head curiously.
These are all duelists who passed the Duel Academy exam, do they still need to think about their own decks?
She thought for a moment, then kindly reminded him: "Ah, this isn't a very strict review; it's just for simple registration. Many students' decks might not have a clear archetype or theme, so you can register based on your commonly used monster types, attributes, or tactics."
Yugen pondered for a moment.
"Hmm, then my usual deck should be Spell Card engine, Trap Card engine, Spellcaster-Type engine, Warrior-Type engine, Machine-Type engine."
Professor Emi: "?"
Are you sure what you just said is called a "deck"?
"Hahaha, this student is quite humorous." Professor Emi gave a dry laugh. "Some students' decks might be quite diverse. In that case, just tell me your ace card, or your favorite card, that's fine too."
Yugen contemplated.
Although his deck's monster core would change, no matter what configuration it became, his current "bottomless pit" (Bottomless Trap Hole), interruption for opponent's resistance, and violent draw/filter cards would remain unchanged.
Thinking of this, he quietly pulled out a Pot of Greed. Then his movements suddenly stopped.
Because at this moment, he vaguely felt an ominous aura.
Yugen's peripheral vision caught sight of something. He clearly saw the usually introverted, spiritual girl, Silent Magician, had flown out at some point. In her spiritual form, visible only to him, she stood silently beside him.
She didn't make a sound or any movement, but her resentful gaze seemed to be saying, 'So I'm not your favorite after all.'
Yugen took a deep breath.
Some kind of unknown survival instinct made him put the half-pulled Pot of Greed back, and then he pulled out Silent Magician.
"It's Silent Magician!?" Professor Emi exclaimed in surprise. "The super-rare card used by the King of Games, Yugi Muto?"
The professor immediately showed even more respect.
After completing the registration, Yugen immediately felt an invisible pressure in his heart ease. Looking back, sure enough, the spiritual entity that had been fluttering behind him was gone.
Yugen let out a long sigh of relief.
That was close, that was really close. Thankfully, I reacted quickly.
This way, the bond with my spirit should also deepen, right?
A ☆ DA ☆ TTE (That's good).
Although he might not actually need Silent Magician for this exam.
But that's not a big problem.
Silent Magician can win duels without even appearing on the field. Our Silent Magician deck is just too strong.