The alarm rang out like a broken trumpet—loud, rusty, and far too alive for a machine that should've been dead five years ago. Shin slapped at the nightstand, eyes still closed. Missed. The alarm persisted. A second slap—more aggressive this time—succeeded in silencing the thing with a satisfying clunk.
"Dead last in speed. Again," mumbled a sleepy voice from the hallway.
Shin groaned. "Rex, shut up."
The door creaked open anyway. Rex leaned his head in, upside-down, his wild red spikey hair dangling like a mop caught in a cyclone.
"Bro, you've got like, ten minutes before that fancy West District tram leaves. You really wanna get clowned by rich kids again?"
Shin peeled himself out of bed like a molted lizard, yawning. His black spikey hair even more of a mess now. "I'm built different. I don't lose to rich kids."
"You lost to me yesterday."
"In Uno. That doesn't count."
---
The world of Vystoria wasn't a typical one. Cities stretched like glittering spiderwebs across floating landmasses and spires that defied gravity. While magic, machines, and old gods once ruled its past, the present belonged to something else entirely—the Duel System.
At age ten, every child in Vystoria received their Duel System Interface, a HUD tethered directly to their neural sync via a tiny implant at the base of the neck. With it came access to the national sport, obsession, and economy: Arc Genesis–a strategy card game woven into real life, where monster holograms roared on neon streets and spells crackled like lightning across rooftops.
You earned money through the game. Bought cards. Gained XP. Leveled up your System Rank, unlocked Skills, and climbed the local or even global Ladder Boards.
And if you were good—really good—you might get noticed by sponsors. Or qualify for Contract Duels, where the risks were higher… and the rewards life-changing.
Shin wasn't thinking about all that, though.
He was trying to brush his teeth with one hand while lacing up a scuffed sneaker with the other.
---
They lived in a cramped but warm flat in the middle of the Eastside, the scrappier part of Vystoria's central city-ring. It was where airships broke down and apartments came with more rust than wallpaper.
Shin had grown up here with his brother.
Now, it was just him, Rex, Naomi—his brother's former girlfriend—and her two sisters: the intense, always-typing college student Juno, and the tiny hurricane of chaos known as Yui, who was currently riding a hover mop through the kitchen like it was a speed bike.
"You're late," Naomi said calmly, flipping an egg. She didn't look up. Her System was active—light blue holographic menus hovered near her eyes. "Also, you left your Duel Deck on the couch again. You keep doing that and Juno's gonna use your Fiend cards as bookmarks."
Juno looked up from her screen. "Tempting."
Shin grabbed his deck, carefully packed in a matte black belt holster with ghostly blue etching.
He held it close. "Don't touch King Boo's children."
---
By the time they reached the Skyrail Station, Shin and Rex had five minutes left. Their school—West Vystoria Preparatory Academy—wasn't made for kids like them. It was private, elite, and glittered with gold-plated walls and holographic banners welcoming "Tomorrow's Pro Duelists." But thanks to scholarship programs for high-ranking youth Duelists from the Eastside, they had a ticket in.
"Do not make me fight some blazer-wearing rich boy today," Rex muttered, teeth clenched. "I will literally explode."
"You say that every day," Shin replied.
They stepped into the anti-grav tram just as the doors slid shut. It lifted with a low hum, heading toward the glowing skyline of the West District.
---
The school was ridiculous. Trees trimmed by drones. Waterfalls that somehow ran up. Students walked across floating walkways between classrooms like it was normal. Some had digital familiars hovering beside them—cosmetic, sure, but still expensive.
Shin's first class was Duel Theory & System Optimization.
Their teacher, a tall, bearded man named Professor Glavin, tapped on the air and summoned a shared visual screen for the class.
"Let's review the structure of Arc-Genesis. What are the four main phases of a turn?"
Shin, seated beside Rex and a silent silver-haired girl with ice in her eyes, answered lazily without looking up.
"Draw, Main, Battle, End."
Glavin nodded. "Correct. Now—what's the cap on Summons per Main Phase without a Skill?"
The ice-haired girl beside him beat him to it. "One normal summon per turn, one spectral summon for the whole duel if conditions are met."
"Correct again. Miss Vale continues her streak," the professor said.
Shin squinted. Tessa Vale, showoff
She didn't look at him. But her System Interface flickered faintly—shaped like an intricate snowflake across her right iris.
---
During lunch, Shin finally got dragged into a duel.
It was at the school's Dueling Arena—an open-air dueling arena where students tested decks and flexed for the Ladder Board.
His opponent: some rich kid named Marrick, who had a dragon deck, half smugness, and an actual fan club.
"You're the Eastside transfer?" Marrick smirked. "Hope you brought more than just discount cards."
Shin rolled his neck. "Hope you brought an extinguisher. My ghosts don't like dragons."
---
[Initiating Duel Protocol]
Shin Yukari vs. Marrick Vestrom
Duel Type: Standard
LP: 4000 each
Draw Phase… Start.
Shin drew his starting hand of five cards.
Monster: [Fiendling – Lurkbat]
Spell: [Haunted Chamber]
Spell: [Ghostbound Pact]
Monster: [Dark Knight, Grinshade ]
Spell: [Spectral Portal]
"Main Phase. I play Haunted Chamber as my Field Zone card. Whenever I summon a Fiend-type monster, I gain 200 LP."
The terrain shimmered. Ghostly blue walls surrounded the arena, dim lanterns flickering to life.
"I summon Lurkbat in Attack Position."
The small, shadowy bat appeared, flapping idly.
[LP: 4200]
"Then I activate Spectral Portal—I can sacrifice one active Fiend monster to summon one Fiend-type card of equal or lesser cost from my Grave or Hand."
He offered the card. "Goodbye, Lurkbat."
In a burst of shadow and fog, a throne rose from the mist. A pale figure with a jagged crown emerged, grinning wide.
"Come forth, Dark Knight, Grinshade!"
[Grinshade – 1900 ATK / 1200 DEF – Fiend / Rank 2]
"Oh," Marrick muttered. "That's cute."
"Grinshade's effect activates," Shin said, voice chilling. "When summoned via Portal, he gains 500 ATK for each Fiend in my Grave."
He held up a finger. "That's just one. But I'm not done."
"Battle Phase!"
Grinshade lunged, wreathed in laughter and purple mist.
"Attack his LP directly!"
The dragon player's LP dropped by 2400 in one blow.
Marrick stumbled back.
His dragons fought back, summoning one with 2100 ATK next turn—but it wasn't enough. Shin used Ghostbound Pact to negate its ability and summon another Spectral Fiend from the banished zone, chipping away at Marrick's life points with cold precision.
Five minutes later, it was over.
Victory: Shin Yukari
+200 XP | +75 V-Coins | +1 Rank | Rank: Silver 3
---
After the match, Rex cackled so hard he nearly fell off the bleachers.
"Bro, you just boo'd that guy back to baby dueling school!"
Shin shrugged. "He was all bark and no bricks."
A new, glitchy notification flashed across his HUD:
[System Notice]
New Spell Card Discovered: [King's Decree] [Status: Sin Card]
Unlock Requirement: Win a Contract Duel.
Shin stared at the glowing text.
He didn't tell Rex, not yet at least. Didn't say a word to anyone.
But in the deepest part of his HUD, beyond the public Duel apps and ladder board stats, a tab blinked red.
[Contract Duel Eligibility Unlocked.]
[Do you wish to register for a Contract Challenge?]
Contract duel huh? That's what my brother used to do sometimes…
Shin's hand hovered above the accept button. Maybe just maybe, if he could get into the world of Contract Dueling, he might find out how his brother died.
Shin then shook his head.
Nah, if I get to the top. It's gonna be the regular way.
He said as he swiped away the notification.
---
The tram ride home was louder this time.
Rex couldn't stop laughing.
"Bro! That guy's face when Grinshade popped out the fog—I swear I saw his soul leave his wallet!"
Shin smirked, slouched with his head against the tram window. "Man said I had discount cards. That aged well."
The city shimmered past in shades of neon orange and indigo. The Eastside came alive around sunset—market stalls blinking awake, food carts sizzling along curbside rails, kids racing through alleyways with mismatched hoverboots.
They stepped off the tram at Parkview Station, feet hitting the metal walkway with a soft thud. The air smelled like engine grease, fried tofu, and home.
"Still thinkin' about the notification?" Rex asked after a beat, hands behind his head.
Shin didn't answer.
Instead, he kicked a loose bolt down the street. It bounced with a dull ting ting ting before disappearing under a vending machine.
"Nah," he muttered. "Just tired."
They rounded the corner to their street when they heard it.
A yelp. Muffled voices. Scuffling.
Then—
"Get your hand off me!"
Juno's voice.
Shin's head snapped up.
She was across the street, near the alley behind Mama Lin's Dumpling Stand, her backpack halfway open, her duel deck clearly visible in its side pouch.
A man in a torn vest, maybe early twenties, had one hand wrapped around her arm and the other near her cards. His crew—three more punks with mismatched gear and half-bootleg HUD visors—stood nearby, keeping watch.
"Hey!" Shin shouted.
The guy turned.
Rex didn't wait. "Oh nah. Juno?!"
They sprinted across the street.
Juno kicked her captor hard in the shin. He stumbled with a curse, letting go, but before Shin or Rex could reach her, more figures stepped out from behind a dumpster.
Six. No—seven now, including the leader.
They formed a loose ring around them. Not official gang members, from the looks of it. Just Eastside gutterheads looking to scrap.
The leader, a pale guy with half his visor cracked and a pinkish scar across his lip, raised his hands casually.
"Easy now," he said. "We were just admiring the deck. Saw it was a Dark Spellcaster Type—thought it might look better in my collection."
Shin narrowed his eyes.
"First of all, idiot," he snapped, "even if you could steal her deck, it's tied to her HUD. You can't even activate the System without a neural lock."
The scarred guy blinked once, then laughed.
"Look at the smart one. You're right. But here's the twist."
He pulled a card from his own holster.
It shimmered red, with jagged black coding etched along the top. Shin's chest tightened.
Sin Card.
"You know what this is?" the guy asked, voice low now.
He stepped forward, motioning for the others to pull back.
"How 'bout this. I'll let the three of you walk outta here. No broken bones. No stolen decks."
A pause.
Then a smile full of teeth.
"If you beat me in a Contract Duel. One round. The winner takes both our decks."
Rex immediately stepped forward. "You think we're stupid? We're not wagering our cards against some back-alley nobody—!"
Shin raised a hand.
"I'll do it," he said.
Rex froze.
"What?!"
Juno stared too, brushing herself off. "Shin, don't—"
Shin stepped forward, eyes never leaving the scarred guy.
"Fine. You wanna throw down a Contract Duel?"
He opened his HUD menu and tapped into the new tab he'd ignored earlier. The screen flickered—one final time—before shifting:
[Contract Duel: Requested]
Wager: Full Deck Transfer
Risk Level: Moderate
Consent: Dual Party Lock Required
Scar smirked. "Didn't think you had the guts."
"Yeah?" Shin said quietly, sliding his deck into the duel holster at his side. "You'll learn something real quick about the Eastside Babyface."
He activated the duel with a spark of blue light.
"We don't fold for trash like you."
Scar's visor flared red.
Cards levitated around him in a spinning circle.
A dark mist swirled beneath their feet.
[Initiating Contract Duel Protocol…]
Duel Type: Contract Duel – Full Wager
Shin Yukari vs. Ral Brimm
LP: 6000 Each
Sin Penalty: Deck Soul-Bind Enforced
BEGIN
Rex stepped back with Juno, both watching wide-eyed from the alley mouth.
"Be careful," Juno whispered.
"Too late for careful," Rex replied, nervous. "This is gonna be ugly."
Shin stared across the dim alley.
Then he drew his starting five cards.
One breath.
Just one breath.
Let's dance, Scarface.