The moment Chang Xingge gave her confused answer, You Ye understood everything instantly.
He could only sigh—
People in this world were always absurdly consistent in their misunderstanding of archetypes.
Every time a new archetype appeared, they saw a few high-level monsters and immediately assumed those were the boss cards.
If those didn't work, they'd complain their luck was bad.
If the deck underperformed, they'd just abandon it.
And if they couldn't switch to something new, they'd simply wait to be eliminated.
"So you're saying my Drytron archetype actually has two more boss monsters? And one of them is the true ace?"
Chang Xingge's voice trembled with excitement, unable to contain herself as she asked.
"Yes," You Ye confirmed with a nod.
"If you can obtain those two and refine your strategy, a pure Drytron deck should have no trouble reaching Earth-Class.
Heaven-Class, though… probably not."
He'd compared pure Drytron's power to what he'd faced in the Master Duel ladder of his past life.
In terms of balance and ceiling, it made sense.
Still, seeing her bring him three rare cards as payment—well, he wasn't about to turn down a deal that generous.
"Earth-Class… not difficult?"
Chang Xingge muttered to herself, but then caught on to the implication behind his words.
"Wait—did you mean there's a variant build of Drytron that can reach Heaven-Class?"
You Ye smirked.
"Of course. If you're aiming for pure power, don't even bother running all three main boss monsters.
Most Drytron duelists go for Vanity Ruler Lock or Herald Control builds—'counter everything until you win'.
Unless your opponent draws a perfectly timed board-breaker or hand trap that interrupts the combo, the duel's already decided before they even play their first card.
To most Earth-Class duelists, that kind of board is practically an endgame.
Even some Heaven-Class duelists would struggle against it."
He grinned slightly, watching her take the bait.
"Then, You Ye," Mu Ning suddenly spoke up after listening silently for a while,
"If your Runick deck doesn't draw any strong board breakers… can you beat that kind of Drytron field?"
"No," You Ye replied without hesitation.
"If Drytron ends on Vanity Ruler plus Herald of Ultimateness, you might as well pack up.
Even the Runick archetype can't break through that without Amano-Iwato or Slumber to bypass negates."
Runick was strong, yes—but going second without hard counters against five or more negates was hopeless.
"We're here."
Chang Xingge stopped walking and pointed ahead to a large stone altar covered in intricate, glowing symbols.
"Please, Senior," she said respectfully, lowering her head.
Her tone had changed—no longer just calling him "You Ye."
Last night, she'd learned that even their Hangcheng Duel Association's Branch Chief had once challenged You Ye's archetype—Runick—and lost miserably.
That level of power made her both reverent and cautious.
Besides, as a vice director, she knew how to act appropriately.
No matter how excited she was to ask for his help building her deck, she wouldn't interrupt him until he'd completed his certification.
She had even brought him here specifically because this was the internal certification chamber, bypassing all public queues.
"Got it. So I just walk up there, right?"
"Yes," she said, nodding. "Once you step onto the platform, the Duel Rules will sense your presence and begin the certification process automatically."
She smiled faintly and added, "May fortune be with you, Senior."
"Thanks."
You Ye smiled back, then stepped onto the altar.
As his foot touched the surface, the runes began to glow—
brighter, brighter still—until the light became blinding.
He reflexively shut his eyes.
When he opened them again, the world around him was gone.
He now stood in an endless white void.
And standing before him was a beautiful woman—
long, flowing blue hair cascading behind her,
wearing a blue-and-white gown that shimmered like water.
Her arms and legs were adorned with elegant fins,
a crown rested upon her head,
and her flawless face carried a trace of guilt and hesitation.
"So we finally meet, Kitkallos," You Ye said softly.
He reached out, gently holding her slender arm and drawing her into his embrace.
The moment he saw her, he recognized her immediately—
the spirit of his archetype.
The strongest mid-combo piece of the Tearlaments archetype—
The Tearlaments Mermail Nymph, Kitkallos.
"You're not angry?" she asked in disbelief, looking up at him.
"It's my fault," she said quietly, her voice trembling.
"Because of me, you've had all this potential but couldn't even build a proper deck until yesterday…"
She had braced herself for blame, for disappointment—
But instead, she found warmth.
Relief.
He wasn't angry.
He was happy.
"It's simple," You Ye replied with a calm smile.
"When I first obtained the Tearlaments archetype, I already knew this would happen."
In this world, after ten years of experience, he had never once seen any duelists above Yellow rank use forbidden or even limited cards from his past life.
That much was enough to tell him how the world worked.
This world enforced its own balance.
And with how oppressive Tearlaments monsters could be—
There was no way the system would hand him a complete set.
The fact that he'd even been given Kitkallos, the archetype's core engine, was already more than he expected.
"Huh?"
Kitkallos tilted her head in confusion, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Don't worry about it," You Ye said gently, pinching her cheek.
"Just watch me perform."
He turned to face the void, his eyes steady.
"Certification, right? All it does is test your resolve.
My resolve is simple—
to collect the complete Tearlaments archetype,
and as many top-tier decks as possible,
so this primitive world can experience what true meta power really is!"
The moment he finished speaking, a duel arena materialized before him.
Across the field stood his opponent, already mid-turn.
Their field showed a Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon,
and their hand was flashing with the activation of Maxx "C"—the infamous "Draw G."
You Ye's side?
Empty.
Just two cards in hand,
and a deck that he could freely reorder at will—
The perfect setup for a challenge.
He wasn't surprised.
It was common knowledge that during certification, duelists were dropped into a "puzzle duel" scenario.
Losing didn't matter—it wouldn't affect your results.
But winning did.
The better you performed, the greater your reward.
Sometimes you'd even receive rare cards, extended lifespan, or access to other archetypes.
"You Ye," Kitkallos spoke up thoughtfully beside him, "you should use the Runick archetype here."
"With Flashing Fire and Destruction, you can easily break this board."
She wasn't suggesting Tearlaments—not this time.
If he used Tearlaments now, he'd have to let Maxx "C" resolve, forcing him into a weak setup, and his opponent still had an active monster negate.
But with Runick, he could search Runick Fountain, pop Crystal Wing, draw two, and mill the opponent to victory.
"You actually know about Runick?"
You Ye raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Tearlaments and Runick didn't belong to the same world, after all.
"Of course!" she said proudly.
"When you obtained the Runick archetype yesterday, I went to visit their world myself."
"At first, the Runick spirits weren't very friendly," she admitted sheepishly.
"But after a duel or two, they opened up.
They may share some habits with the Kshatri-La—like banishing everything in sight—but they're much more reasonable!
Lady Hugin even told me that once you reach Profound rank, she'll personally entrust you with all the Runick cards under her domain."
You Ye: "…"
So they weren't 'reasonable' until you beat them senseless, huh?
Still, he had to admit—Kitkallos had been a great help.