"Huh!? Big brother, did you really go to the Elven world?"
During the break time, Marufuji Sho came out of the building and walked on the road, staring wide-eyed at Judai, his face full of disbelief.
Judai: "Yeah, no need to shout so loudly..."
"But that's the Elven world!" Marufuji Sho was excited, "Did you see the elf of the Black Mage Girl? Or maybe..."
"Hahaha, unfortunately not," Judai laughed cheerfully, "but I did see the 'Captain Who Penetrates the Enemy Formation,' and even dueled with him...
...Oh, Yugen?"
At this moment, Judai's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of Yugen passing through the crowd, and he immediately rushed over enthusiastically.
"How was your rest yesterday?"
"It was okay."
"We're planning to go fishing next. Want to join us?" Judai warmly invited.
Marufuji Sho: "Huh!? I didn't hear about this, big brother..."
Yugen declined: "I'm planning to organize my class notes, so I'll head back first."
Judai and Marufuji Sho were both shocked: "Huh? Notes actually exist?"
In just a few words, another voice chimed in from the side: "That's so you, always taking every class with the same serious attitude."
The three of them turned back simultaneously, and saw Asuka Tenjouin smiling with her arms crossed.
"But I heard rumors that they've arranged for you to be the opponent for the new teacher Shark's introductory duel, is that true?" Asuka asked Yugen.
"Your information is quite accurate. Yes, that's the case."
Judai was surprised: "You get to duel with a new teacher? Impressive, Yugen, I'm so jealous~"
"Be careful, there are some bad rumors about that Shark," Asuka said in a low voice. "Some people say he likes to take rare cards from others through duels.
If it's him, chances are he'll ask for a card bet. Of course, the academy doesn't allow this openly, so it'll definitely be private."
Yugen looked delighted upon hearing this.
Such a good opportunity?
Turns out he's the same type of duelist as me...
However, Yugen never took others' card decks outside of Life Bet Cards, nor had he ever actively asked for a card wager. He seized card decks as a means to confiscate the tools of evil, in the interest of upholding justice and punishing evil.
Yes, that's right.
But if someone sincerely requests it, he wouldn't mind giving them the courtesy.
Seeing Yugen's nonchalant attitude, Asuka was a bit displeased: "Take it seriously! That Shark is quite good, even during his time at the academy he was part of the student union, and his skills are reportedly excellent.
And he's won quite a few rankings in various competitions. I heard his record is quite impressive now..."
"Got it, thanks for the reminder, Tenjouin-san," Yugen smiled.
He remembered a bit now. Teacher Shark... a character from the GX Manga.
In the manga, he's an outright villain, taking advantage of his position as an intern teacher to forcibly win students' cards through card betting rules, arrogantly stating, "These cards will be happier with someone stronger like me."
Moreover, in the manga, he would use underhanded tricks. Once realizing the situation turned unfavorable, he'd employ special electromagnetic waves to interfere with the opponent's Duel Disc, preventing them from activating Magic Cards.
In the manga, the requirement for his promotion was that Shark had to achieve fifty victories in duels against students. Honestly, Yugen found it absurd that his repeated use of such tricks to win went unnoticed, and most opponents just seemed to think it was a malfunction of their Duel Disc...
However, the current situation isn't entirely consistent with the manga, so Yugen wasn't sure if the opponent would use such means. But to be cautious, he made a phone consultation with Keihei.
The conclusion was, the Duel Disc he was using now was the latest smart model leading the market, with no risk of system interference. Therefore, there was no need to worry about underhanded strategies anymore.
Actually, confirming this was just for reassurance. Besides, Yugen believed he could still win even without using Magic Cards.
The next day, at the scheduled time, Yugen accepted Professor Chronos's invitation to the academy's duel arena.
A lot of students who heard the news came over to watch.
Especially his colleagues from the Yellow Dormitory.
"What? The new teacher gets assigned to duel with a student? And with that guy?"
"New teacher's really unlucky."
"Don't say that, what if the new teacher turns out to be surprisingly strong?"
"..."
Both parties had already stood face-to-face, entering the card shuffling stage according to the match rules.
"You must be Yugen, right? Professor Chronos speaks very highly of you," Shark said with a sly smile.
"You're too kind."
Yugen displayed humility and courtesy, showing respect.
He could probably guess why Professor Chronos invited him as this test opponent.
On one hand, it was similar to how the professor always called on him to answer questions and give demonstrations, as a way of granting him credits regularly.
Moreover, this was no ordinary classroom demonstration; if he won this, he would naturally receive much more credit reward than usual. The professor had assured him of this, making it a rare opportunity.
Even if he lost, it wouldn't have much impact on him.
On the other hand, it was probably because Professor Chronos was also interested in his skills.
As a key student, the professor definitely wanted more opportunities to see him compete with masters. It would give him a chance to practice and improve, while enabling the professor to assess his progress and true abilities.
To be honest, Professor Chronos had always been curious about this student's skills.
So far, Yugen's most serious public duel seemed to be against Mitsuzawa Earth during the stage test. Mitsuzawa had thoroughly studied and strategized against his usual tactics, but ultimately, Yugen effortlessly counteracted and defeated him.
At least to others, it seemed Mitsuzawa still couldn't force him to use his full power.
Professor Chronos watched Yugen on the field with a smile, hands behind his back, from above.
"Yugen, just how strong are you... let the professor have a good look, Nonne."
"..."
At this moment, Shark, who was shuffling cards, squinted his eyes and said with a smile, "The professor says you're extraordinary. So, how about it, dare to play for something bigger?"
Yugen's eyes twinkled: "Teacher, do you mean...?"
"Betting on each other's rare cards." He adjusted his glasses and lowered his voice, "The winner can choose a card from the loser, how about that?"
With Yugen's humble and polite appearance, Shark thought he looked like a sunshine good student, presumably with good grades. Plus, with such praise from Chronos, he surely had access to excellent resources.
Therefore, he must have some very valuable cards in hand.
Yugen hesitated: "Ah? Isn't this bad?"
Shark smirked: "What, are you scared?"
"No, I mean... just one card?" Yugen blinked, "Wouldn't that be a bit lacking in excitement?"
Shark: "???"