By the time the third turn came around, Wu Ping looked at You Ye's field and completely lost all hope.
On the left sat Messenger of Peace, on the right Rivalry of Warlords, and in the middle, Gozen Match.
To top it all off, his Extra Monster Zone held a Runick Munin, Wings of the Mysterion.
Wu Ping's face was full of despair.
Watching from the sidelines, Bai Yun'er and the other two girls could only pity her.
They all wished they could hand her a legendary Harpie's Feather Duster, just so she could feel the joy of clearing a field once in her life.
But unfortunately, there were no "ifs."
Wu Ping couldn't do a single thing. She drew the last few cards of her deck and ended the duel.
When it was over, her eyes were hollow—but her face showed relief, even a hint of gratitude.
After all, if You Ye had started removing her key cards right from the beginning, she wouldn't have even made it this far.
She'd have been locked down completely by turn two or three, unable to do anything but sit and watch.
"Senior, this is the decklist the clan head asked me to give you," Wu Ping said after taking a moment to compose herself. Her voice was calm again—professional, like a trained maid.
"You may choose any five cards from it as compensation from the Bai family, and as thanks for helping our young lady construct her deck."
She opened a digital decklist on a tablet and handed it respectfully to You Ye.
Taking the device, You Ye nodded lightly, while Wu Ping silently stepped back to stand behind Bai Yun'er again, head lowered, saying nothing.
Seeing that expression, You Ye sighed inwardly.
Her composure had returned—but the shadow of that crushing duel still lingered.
Then he shifted his focus to the decklist.
He had to admit—the Bai family truly lived up to its title as one of the "Top Ten Duelist Clans" in the Dragon Kingdom's history.
This deck pool was leagues richer than the one managed by the Duel Oversight Bureau.
Besides individual staple cards, it contained almost complete archetypes:
Red-Eyes, Cyber Angels, and even near-full sets of Cyber Dragons, Dark Magicians, and Crystal Beasts.
There were also a few scattered high-value cards from dozens of other archetypes.
But what really surprised You Ye was this—
There wasn't a single Blue-Eyes card.
And if the Bai family deliberately excluded the Blue-Eyes archetype…
That could only mean one thing—
They were still hiding their real treasure.
He understood perfectly.
After all, in his own trades and exchanges, he never once offered any of the "Designated Reward" cards from the past four years.
Sometimes, information itself decides the outcome of a duel.
For example—if Mu Ning had known Kashtira's full effects before their fight, she still wouldn't have won…
…but she definitely wouldn't have lost in such a clean sweep without even seeing half of You Ye's deck's true power.
That's why duelists hide their cards.
Unless your deck is absurdly powerful—like Tearlaments, a deck that fears no counter—
Keeping secrets is just basic survival.
After browsing for nearly an hour, You Ye finally made his picks:
King of the Swamp
Predaplant Chimerafflesia
Shaddoll Beast
Magicians' Souls (translated as "Eyes of Time and Space" in the original)
Evenly Matched
The first three would strengthen his Wheelchair Tearlaments deck—his own joking nickname for the incomplete archetype he'd been rebuilding.
The fifth, Evenly Matched, was a Runick player's dream—field removal and draw power in one stroke.
Once he found a Droll & Lock Bird, a Scapegoat, and an Amano-Iwato, the deck could flow even smoothly.
"Senior… would you be willing to trade your three original cards—Baronne de Fleur, Effect Veiler, and Infinite Impermanence?" Bai Yun'er asked cautiously. Her tone was polite but full of hope.
"Impossible."
You Ye didn't even hesitate.
"The original cards for those three? There's no world where I'd trade them."
Every duelist knew how precious they were.
Their versatility alone made them priceless.
Bai Yun'er sighed in visible disappointment.
Even so, she had a hunch—
that Baronne de Fleur could take her Tenyi Swordsoul deck to an entirely new level.
That must have been what You Ye meant earlier—"a general Level 10 Synchro boss monster."
Sheng Ning, beside her, looked equally regretful.
She didn't care much for Baronne, but Effect Veiler and Infinite Impermanence were a different story—
They were universal staples.
Every archetype she'd ever seen could use them.
But if You Ye refused, what could they do?
Challenge him to a duel and try to win them?
That would be something a dark duelist might attempt—
And besides, none of them believed they could actually beat him.
Even Wu Ping sighed quietly behind Bai Yun'er.
Only Mu Ning looked completely at ease, munching on a snack and watching them like she was enjoying a drama.
After all, she was different.
Once You Ye had gained her archetype's blessing, she had become his Spirit—
And their bond meant she could ask him for cards anytime.
Seeing the mixed expressions among the four girls, You Ye smiled faintly.
"I won't sell them," he said, "but… if you can provide the cards I specify, I can let you temporarily hold these originals. You'll be able to freely communicate with their spirits."
"Please tell us what you need, Senior! I'll contact my family immediately!" Bai Yun'er's eyes lit up with excitement.
Sheng Ning was just as eager. "Same for me. Just name them!"
"I'll create a group chat later," You Ye said with a chuckle. "The list's a bit long."
The phrase "a bit long" only made the girls more enthusiastic.
They couldn't wait to get started.
You Ye was pleased by their motivation—but he didn't expect much.
Even his Academy Principal, who had once tried to trade with him under the same deal, had failed to find even one of the dozens of specific cards You Ye wanted—in two whole years.
Soon after, Bai Yun'er took his card list and, with Wu Ping in tow, hurriedly departed.
"Helping You Ye find cards," she said, "is a mission that cannot wait."
Sheng Ning, on the other hand, stayed a bit longer to discuss her Ancient Gear deck.
After an hour of testing and tweaking, You Ye handed her an optimized build—
less bricky, more consistent, though a bit more expensive.
She tested it immediately, queueing five duels in Platinum rank—and won all five in a row.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Maybe, just maybe, she could push all the way to Earth-Class Duelist with her Ancient Gears.
When Sheng Ning finally left, You Ye closed up shop and headed home—this time, with Mu Ning walking beside him.
Yes, beside him.
According to Sheng Ning, since You Ye had obtained the Runick archetype through Mu Ning, she was now his Spirit Companion.
That meant her welfare, safety, and presence in the human world were his responsibility.
He even had the authority to send her back to the Spirit Realm if he wished.
"Come to think of it," You Ye said as they walked beneath the starlit sky, "I never asked—why did you come to the human world in the first place? Isn't the Spirit Realm larger… and far more interesting?"
"Boredom," Mu Ning said immediately, shrugging. "Back home, no one wants to duel Runicks. The moment they see us, they run away. So we just spend our days raising dogs, lions, and riding horses. It's dull."
You Ye nodded in understanding.
Indeed—just like in his previous life, no one enjoyed testing their patience or temperature control against a Runick player.
"Hey, Night," Mu Ning said suddenly, eyes curious.
"How strong are the Tearlaments? Stronger than the Kashtira?"
One was the archetype that had defeated her, and the other was the one that had beaten her for You Ye's attention.
Of course, she wanted to know.
"For pure builds?" You Ye said, thinking.
"Tearlaments and Kashtira are roughly sixty–forty. Kashtira sixty, Tearlaments forty."
Mu Ning blinked, about to respond—but he continued.
"But if we're talking about fully realized versions—'Abyssal Tearlaments' versus 'Full-Power Kashtira'?
In a Bo1—ninety–ten. Tearlaments ninety, Kashtira ten.
In a Bo3?
Ten–zero. Tearlaments ten, Kashtira zero."
"Ninety–ten? Ten–zero?"
Mu Ning stopped in her tracks, staring at his back in disbelief.
Just how broken was this Tearlaments deck?!
Kashtira's sheer power had crushed her even when she barely used her effects—
And yet You Ye was telling her that Tearlaments were that much stronger?
"Don't just stand there," You Ye said with a grin, looking back at her.
"We've got to visit the Duel Association tomorrow to get our rank certifications."
He turned toward the starlit horizon.
You'll see the Tearlaments soon enough, he said softly.
I can feel it—the archetype's calling out to me.
After ten years of stagnation, its true potential is waiting to awaken.