"I still owe you an apology." At this moment, Marik didn't forget about Youyu either. "Because of my misguided revenge, I've caused a lot of trouble for you and the people around you, dragging you into such a mess..."
A lot of trouble, you say?
Honestly speaking, Youyu didn't really see it that way.
Because if you strictly consider it, Marik and the Ghouls Group didn't initially cause him any trouble at all—it was he who actively approached Pandora looking for trouble.
Besides, throughout this series of "challenges from the Ghouls," Youyu benefited quite a lot at every stage. Things like the Black Magician package and Slifer the Sky Dragon were all rewards from these long string of tasks.
Let alone the fact that he confiscated so many card decks and Duel Discs along the way...
If you have to put it that way, Youyu actually found the Ghouls organization quite amiable. The bros inside were all super nice, fast with their deliveries, and their service was excellent—definitely a place he'd patronize again given the chance.
There's a saying that fits the Ghouls perfectly—
—The world's first choice for express delivery, home service with integrity.
Now, however, the leader of the Ghouls suddenly had a memory resurgence and was ready to reform, and it seemed the organization was about to vanish into thin air. He felt it was quite a pity, like saying goodbye to an old friend he'd known for a long time...
"Moreover, we must express our gratitude." Sister Ishizu also gently bowed, speaking sincerely, "During our previous duel, I used the power of the Millennium Necklace. It was very presumptuous of me, and I apologize.
You saved my brother, obliterating his dark persona during the Darkness Game. The Gravekeeper Race will remember this favor."
Ahem, speaking of which, even though Sister Ishizu looked a bit tanned, she was still quite beautiful and well-endowed in all the right places...
Marik too seemed to have made up his mind to repent and reform: "We will remember."
This was the moment to show magnanimity.
Youyu waved his hand generously, "It's nothing, nothing; don't take it to heart. If you really feel bad about it, you can skip compensating me with Duel Discs—I already have more than I need.
As for cards, just a little token would suffice; it doesn't have to be UR. The key is practicality.
Isn't there a saying? It's not about how many cards you have; it's about how useful they are."
Marik: "..."
Even after everything had settled, long after they'd reformed, Marik would occasionally remember the fear he felt back when he was the BOSS, being dominated by a certain Duel Disk Hunter with the surname You...
After everything was explained and Marik apologized, he turned to leave but stopped when he heard Youyu cough emphatically behind him, as if hinting at something.
It was then that Marik suddenly realized—oh right, there was also the matter of wagering cards in the tournament.
So he dutifully picked out the Winged Dragon of Ra from his card deck and handed it to Youyu: "You won it."
Then he paused, thought for a bit, took back the Winged Dragon of Ra, placed it back into the card deck... and handed the entire card deck over to Youyu.
Youyu nodded slightly.
Hmm, there's hope for you yet.
Ah, that's more like it; Youyu thought the kid was going to try to weasel out of it...
Because by directly defeating Ra in a Dark Duel, Youyu naturally earned the system's hidden reward just like when he faced off against Marik's controlled puppet—a "The Winged Dragon of Ra" card.
Of course, even without thinking, one would know it's the physical card version...
In the duel just now against Marik, Slifer's wave of powerful assistance significantly boosted Youyu's Skydragon, enhancing the divine power contained in the card. This directly bumped Youyu's Duelist level from 5 stars up to 6 stars.
And at this moment, after shuffling the newly acquired Divine Card, "The Winged Dragon of Ra" (Physical Card Version), into the card deck, Youyu rechecked the panel and was pleasantly surprised to find—
—still just six stars.
As for the reasoning, he could roughly guess.
If the physical realization of the other two Egyptian God Cards was an epic nerf, then the Winged Dragon of Ra seemed more like a comedic act, better suited as a comedic artist among the Egyptian Gods.
"The Winged Dragon of Ra, Level 10, Divine Beast-Type, Attack Power? Defense Power?
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card is Normal Summoned, three monsters must be sacrificed.
1): The Summon of this card cannot be negated.
2): When this card's Summon is successful, the effects of Magic, Trap, and Monsters other than this card cannot be activated.
3): Upon this card's successful Summon, you must pay Life Points until they become 100 in order to activate this effect. This card's Attack and Defense increase by the amount paid.
4): By paying 1000 Life Points, you can target 1 monster on the field and destroy it."
Yes, you read that correctly. This thing lacks resistance and can't guard against any card effects, and what's more, it doesn't even have the basic effect of "Attack Power is the sum of the sacrificed monsters' Attack Power."
This means when you gather three sacrifices to summon Ra, you can either choose to voluntarily pay your LP down to 100 to exchange for a high-attack blank card—only to find you don't have enough LP left to activate the monster-destroying effect afterward.
Otherwise, you can opt not to pay the Life Points, summoning a zero-attack monster-destroying tool with three sacrifices...
No matter how you think about it, it's still junk!
However, Ra's card surely provides a significant boost to a Duelist's "power." Although specific data isn't visible, Youyu could vaguely sense that his level probably jumped from barely reaching level six to nearly reaching level seven.
As with all leveling up, the higher the Duelist's star level, the harder it becomes to rise.
Starting from level seven is a big threshold; at this level, even someone using a Normal Deck in the original would be a notable person.
Youyu could sense that although the panel showed he couldn't quite reach level seven yet, he probably wasn't far off.
Based on previous estimations, the current King's Duelist level might have already reached a terrifying 10 stars—at that star level, having one more or less God Card wouldn't affect the star level, as it was already at a monster level.
Under such realization, Youyu originally thought that if he faced the King during the competition, he likely wouldn't stand a chance and was mentally prepared to be a points donor.
However, with the Skydragon's boost and acquiring Ra, with his own star level nearly reaching seven, coupled with an advanced deck composition, he felt this time...
...perhaps he could put up a fight?
Youyu was contemplating his character panel when he looked up and suddenly noticed President Haima had appeared in front of him unknowingly.
At this moment, President Haima was crossing his arms, wearing a proud look: "Hmph, to think you're the one furthest ahead in acquiring the Divine Cards?
No matter. Letting you hold onto the two Divine Cards for now is fine. I'll soon defeat Yugi, ascend to the final stage of this tournament, and then defeat you at the summit of this Demon Island, claiming the title of Duel King and all three Egyptian God Cards!
Until then, keep your eyes wide open and watch my performance!"
After speaking, Haima dramatically swung his coat and turned to leave.
Youyu: "..."
Right, nearly forgot.
Before the finals, isn't there supposed to be a match between Haima and Yugi? Yet somehow, he automatically filtered out the president and started treating Yugi as the imaginary opponent for the finals.
But thinking like that makes sense, too.
Although it's a bit unfortunate for the overly confident president, for him to beat Yugi, he might have to wait for the afterlife...
...oh, wait, looks like he already got there.
Well, never mind then.