[This mission is a novice mission. Due to novice protection protocols, the difficulty will be appropriately reduced. Novice protection will be lifted after the player completes the novice mission and fully obtains their first deck.]
[After this mission is completed, depending on the outcome—including factors such as Marufuji Ryo's favorability rating, bond level, and overall relationship quality—the deck will be directly unlocked to a certain extent. The higher the bond and favorability metrics, the higher the degree of deck unlocking you'll receive.]
[At the same time, during this mission, the "Trial Deck: Marufuji Ryo" available for your use will also follow these rules, adjusting in real-time based on current character statistics and relationship values.]
Yūrei looked at the detailed explanation on the system light screen floating before him, then turned his head to glance at the somewhat dazed Marufuji Ryo standing behind him—the young man who clearly didn't understand why he'd been led to a Duel Arena of all places.
Yūrei's gaze gradually sharpened as the pieces fell into place in his mind.
So the system's intended path was straightforward enough: Meet Ryo, initiate a Duel, defeat him through superior play to obtain this "Launch Five-Star" character and his associated deck. Simple, efficient, and perfectly designed to let a new player cruise through the early novice period with minimal difficulty.
This aligned perfectly with the description of [Novice Protection] in the system's explanation. A tutorial boss fight, essentially.
And this trial deck was clearly provided specifically for defeating Marufuji Ryo. As the saying went in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dueling was the primary element of everything. Win the Duel, and everything else became easy to negotiate.
However...
If Yūrei really just did exactly that—if he relied solely on a dry, straightforward Duel to defeat his opponent and establish dominance—then in the end, the bond level and favorability values for Marufuji Ryo would definitely not be very high.
In Ryo's heart, Yūrei would only register as "some weirdo who suddenly showed up claiming he wanted to help, then proceeded to beat me in a card game." No matter how you framed it, his future image wouldn't be particularly positive. He'd be a stranger who kicked someone while they were down, not a mentor worth following.
Sure, it was like entering the novice stage when you first started playing any game. Even if your clear score wasn't high, it was definitely enough to pass and move forward.
After all, with the meager resources available during the novice period, you certainly couldn't do anything too ambitious. Getting a basic set of Cyber Dragon cards after winning the fight, even if the deck's power level was relatively low, would be good enough for progression purposes.
But!
As a hardcore Card Game Enthusiast who'd participated in the card god game since its launch—someone with extensive game experience, real-world card game tournament experience, and even comprehensive anime-watching experience that covered every series and spin-off...
How could Yūrei possibly be satisfied with such a mediocre clear?
Absolutely not.
Yu-Gi-Oh! was all about generating advantage, about the 'plus.' Real players didn't use cards that didn't generate advantage, and they definitely didn't pursue strategies that weren't profitable.
Just beating up Marufuji Ryo in a Duel and extracting a basic set of Cyber Dragon cards from him? Could anyone with an ounce of ambition actually be satisfied with something so fundamentally unprofitable?
This was an insult to an old-school Card Game Enthusiast like himself!
Even if this was merely the first stage of the novice period, Yūrei wanted—no, demanded—a perfect clear. Maximum rewards. Five-star rating. The whole package.
So instead of immediately following the obvious path, Yūrei turned around to face Ryo directly.
In this vast private Duel Arena, with its professional-grade hologram systems humming quietly in standby mode, Yūrei didn't pull out his duel disk first like you'd expect.
Instead, with a deliberate flick of his right hand—theatrical timing perfected through hours of practice in his room over the past few days—the "Novice Stage Reality Experience Deck" gifted by the system suddenly materialized in his hand. Cards appeared from nowhere, fanning out in his palm with a satisfying weight.
If he simply followed the system's straightforward instructions, it would be like getting a mediocre 2-star clear rating. Obtaining a hollow victory through superior card advantage and nothing more. The so-called "defeating Marufuji Ryo's body in a Duel, but not conquering his heart" outcome.
But Yūrei was an old-school Card Game Enthusiast with incredibly rich anime and game experience. He understood deeply that in Yu-Gi-Oh!, besides Duel victories and card advantage, there was another element equally important and utterly non-negotiable!
An element so fundamental to the franchise that no true victory could be achieved without it!
Its name was—Talk-no-Jutsu!
The power of words. The bonds forged through dramatic speeches. The ability to reach someone's heart through sheer force of passionate conviction and perfectly timed reveals.
Yūrei's expression shifted, becoming deadly serious. His voice rang out with commanding authority:
"Successor of the Cyber Style! Second-rate Duelist Marufuji Ryo!"
Ryo's head snapped up, startled by the sudden intensity.
"Look closely! What! Is! This!"
Yūrei held up the deck dramatically, letting the top card catch the light.
Hearing this theatrical demand and driven by genuine curiosity despite his confusion, the dazed Marufuji Ryo leaned in to look at what Yūrei was showing him.
Then his face went completely pale, all color draining from his features as recognition hit like a physical blow.
"This... this card is—!" His voice came out strangled, disbelieving. "Cyber End Dragon!"
Jackpot.
That's right. The top card of the Cyber Style trial deck provided by the system was none other than the signature card of the entire archetype—the legendary Cyber End Dragon itself.
Yūrei had discovered through careful investigation over the past two days that in this world, Duelists placed immense importance on inheritance, lineage, and the master-student relationship. It wasn't just cultural tradition; it was practically sacred.
And as the signature card of the Cyber Style—the ultimate symbol of the dojo's power and philosophy—Cyber End Dragon could only be obtained and wielded by the most elite and formally recognized Cyber Style Duelists. It wasn't something you could just buy or trade for. You had to earn it through acknowledgment from the masters.
"Only a Duelist who's been formally recognized by the Cyber Style and who has obtained the complete inheritance can possess Cyber End Dragon," Marufuji Ryo said slowly, his years of experience with Cyber Dragons allowing him to immediately confirm this card's authenticity. His eyes were wide, his mind racing through implications. "You... are you perhaps—"
"That's exactly it!"
Yūrei's expression became resolute, his gaze sharp as lightning. He seized on Ryo's leading question and ran with it, spouting complete nonsense with the confidence of someone revealing absolute truth:
"That's right! The person before you is actually... the successor of the Shadow Cyber Style of our generation!"
Please buy this. Please buy this. Come on, kid, you're desperate enough to believe anything right now.
"Shadow Cyber Style!?"
Hearing such an impressively high-class term—something that sounded both mysterious and legitimate—Marufuji Ryo's shock intensified visibly. His mouth hung open slightly, his eyes reflecting genuine awe.
Hook, line, and sinker.
"Indeed." Yūrei nodded gravely, committing fully to the bit. "Our Shadow Cyber Style is a branch that split from the mainstream Cyber Style many years ago due to ideological differences regarding the true path of Cyber philosophy. We've been passed down separately ever since, maintaining our traditions in secret."
He paused dramatically, letting that sink in.
"It's just that our Shadow branch has always had fewer practitioners. We hide in the shadows, operating from the darkness, and our techniques are more... sophisticated. More refined through centuries of selective teaching." Another pause. "Such secrets and historical schisms are only recorded in the oldest, most restricted archives of the original Cyber Style dojo. Most modern practitioners don't even know we exist."
Yūrei leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to something almost reverent.
"Compared to your mainstream Cyber Style, our Shadow Cyber Style possesses all the same core inheritances and techniques. But we also have access to certain... unique resources." He let a knowing smile cross his face. "We even maintain our own copy of the Dark Electron cards. That's why I know what Dark Electron is! That's why I could speak of them so casually—because in the Shadow branch, they're part of our legacy too."
"Shadow Cyber Style..." Marufuji Ryo repeated the phrase slowly, tasting the words, his expression shifting as if puzzle pieces were clicking into place in his mind. "Right... that's right! That would explain everything! That's why you know the deepest secrets of Dark Electron that exist in our dojo, why you possess such precious knowledge. And that's why you have access to a card as rare and significant as Cyber End Dragon itself..."
Yes! Keep connecting those dots! You're doing my work for me!
"Exactly!" Yūrei's voice rose with perfectly calibrated passion. "As the latest generation successor of the Shadow Cyber Style, I should have continued following our ancient inheritance, practicing our sacred mission of remaining hidden from the world, operating in the shadows as our name suggests..."
He let his expression fall, injecting genuine-seeming pain into his voice.
"But! But when I saw you—you, the designated successor of the orthodox Cyber Style—reduced to such a pitiful state..."
Yūrei shook his head slowly, as if deeply disappointed by what he'd witnessed.
"I feel incredibly pained! My heart aches for what's become of the main branch's pride!"
He straightened up, his voice becoming fierce, almost angry.
"We successors of the Cyber Style—whether Shadow or orthodox—should be indomitable! We should forge ahead like the mighty Cyber Dragon itself! No matter what hardships we encounter, no matter how many times we're knocked down, we should never, never forget to struggle and fight back! Only through that relentless spirit can we achieve true victory!"
His gaze hardened, becoming almost contemptuous.
"But someone like you? Someone who gives up so easily after a few losses? Someone who's actually considering descending into the Dark Duels like some kind of—" He cut himself off, as if the words were too painful to speak.
Then he said them anyway, cold and cutting:
"Do you even deserve the title of Cyber Style successor? You disgrace the legacy! You dog!"
The insult landed like a slap.
Hearing such direct, harsh criticism—being called a dog by someone who claimed brotherhood through their shared Cyber Style heritage—Marufuji Ryo couldn't help but clench his fists. His jaw tightened. Subconsciously, he wanted to retort, to defend himself, to argue back.
But when he actually opened his mouth to speak, only a few strangled syllables emerged. He couldn't form a proper argument at all.
Because deep down, he knew the stranger was right. Every word hit a nerve of shame and self-loathing he'd been trying to ignore.
"What was that? I can't hear you! I can't hear you at all!"
Looking at young Comrade Marufuji Ryo's devastated expression—the way his mouth worked soundlessly, the way his eyes reflected both hurt and recognition—Yūrei had to try incredibly hard to force his face into a look of pained regret rather than the satisfied grin threatening to break through.
God, this is working even better than I hoped. The poor kid is completely buying it.
"So quiet! Speak up!" Yūrei's voice cracked like a whip. "Are you even worthy of using Cyber Dragons anymore!?"
He let that accusation hang in the air for a brutal moment, watching Ryo flinch.
Then his expression softened, just slightly. Just enough to seem merciful rather than cruel.
"Actually..." Yūrei's voice took on a more contemplative quality. "It is said in the most ancient teachings of our Shadow Cyber Style that although we parted ways with the orthodox branch and took different philosophical paths, we are always—always—one family. Blood of the same lineage. Practitioners of the same fundamental arts."
He stepped forward, closing some of the distance between them.
"If the orthodox path encounters trouble, if our brothers and sisters in the main branch face hardships they cannot overcome alone..." His voice grew stronger, more passionate. "We Shadow Cyber Style successors must lend a hand! We are bound by honor and heritage to help those who share our legacy!"
Yūrei's eyes locked onto Ryo's, intense and unwavering.
"Marufuji Ryo—the Shadow Cyber Style is your best big brother! Your senior in the arts! Your family when all others have abandoned you!"
He struck his chest once with his fist, the gesture somehow both theatrical and genuine.
"And I have appeared here today—before you, at your lowest moment—to teach you what you've forgotten!"
Yūrei stood perfectly straight now, looking down at Marufuji Ryo with an expression of absolute seriousness. His next words came out measured, weighty, carrying the gravitas of a sacred oath:
"I shall represent our Shadow Cyber Style—and teach you the true, lost Secret Arts of Cyber that have been hidden for generations! I will show you techniques and philosophies that the orthodox branch has long forgotten! So that you—so that you, Marufuji Ryo—can walk out of this dark predicament and reclaim your rightful place as a master of the Cyber Style!"
After hearing these passionate words—after seeing Yūrei's face, which seemed genuinely flushed red with righteous anger and concern—Marufuji Ryo stood there somewhat stunned, his world tilting on its axis.
The declaration echoed in his ears, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of overwhelming emotion welling up in his chest. His eyes stung with the threat of tears he refused to let fall.
This broken young man—someone who'd just fallen from the absolute peak of his life straight down to rock bottom in the span of a few devastating weeks—received this news of the Shadow Cyber Style like a ray of pure sunshine breaking through storm clouds.
He was just a student who hadn't graduated that long ago, after all. Just a kid, really, when you stripped away the professional duelist title and the Kaiser nickname.
Now, at the lowest point of his entire life, drowning in despair and contemplating choices that would destroy everything he believed in... to suddenly come into contact with this "family-like" salvation, this brother from the shadows who claimed kinship and offered help...
It was a miracle. It was almost too good to be true.
In fact, it was already incredible that Ryo wasn't crying out something embarrassing like 'Coach, I want to play Cyber Dragons again!' in a voice choked with emotion.
As the old saying went, people always believed what they wanted to believe. What they needed to believe when the alternative was too painful to accept.
During this nightmarish period, Marufuji Ryo had constantly prayed for something—anything—or someone to come and save him from this terrifying hell of failure and self-doubt. He'd wished desperately for a sign, for help, for validation that he wasn't completely worthless.
Now this savior called the Shadow Cyber Style had actually appeared, arriving at his darkest hour with answers and assistance. Offering not just help, but belonging.
No matter how calm or analytically wise Marufuji Ryo had once been back in his academy days, at this current moment—teetering on the very edge of complete mental collapse—could he possibly speak words of skepticism? Could he afford to doubt the only lifeline being offered?
No. Not even a little bit.
"...Yes!"
At this critical moment, under the crushing weight of multiple mental blows and confronted with what seemed like iron-clad evidence (the Cyber End Dragon card, the knowledge of Dark Electron, the passionate conviction), Marufuji Ryo let go of doubt entirely.
He lowered his head and gave Yūrei a proper, formal bow—the kind of respectful gesture reserved for recognized superiors in the dojo tradition.
"Yes, Shadow-senpai!" His voice came out stronger now, filled with desperate hope and newfound determination. "Please teach me!"
Meanwhile, on Yūrei's side, he allowed himself the briefest glance at the system light screen floating to his side—the interface that only he could see, invisible to poor trusting Ryo.
Judging from the clearly rising trend in the columns displaying Marufuji Ryo's favorability rating and bond level—both numbers climbing steadily upward with each passing second—his serious-sounding yet completely fabricated Talk-no-Jutsu was proving incredibly effective.
Holy shit, it's actually working. The numbers are going up faster than I expected.
Though... wait. If this is how easily I can manipulate someone's emotions and make them devoted to me, the system's warnings about romantic entanglements are starting to make a lot more sense. This is basically a tutorial on how to accidentally create a yandere disciple who becomes obsessively attached to their mentor.
Note to self: be very, very careful about which disciples I recruit and how close those bonds get. Especially if any of them turn out to be female. The last thing I need is to recreate one of those 'Sensei, sensei, you smell so good~' scenarios the system warned about.
Clearly, everything was precisely as Yūrei had calculated and predicted. A simple Duel victory could only conquer a Duelist's body—break their spirit through superior play and card advantage, force them to acknowledge defeat in mechanical terms.
But according to the sacred traditions of the Yu-Gi-Oh! worldview that had been established across decades of anime, manga, and game storylines, only when that Duel victory was supplemented with equally powerful Talk-no-Jutsu could you successfully capture a Duelist's heart. Make them truly believe. Transform them from defeated opponent into loyal ally.
From these rapidly improving metrics, the Shadow Cyber Style backstory that Yūrei had been carefully pondering and refining since his transmigration several days ago clearly wasn't wasted effort.
Thank god this ridiculous story was actually useful.
After all, thinking up a setting in the safety of your room was one thing. Actually standing in front of someone and reciting those dramatic lines with a straight face was something else entirely.
After delivering that whole speech just now, regardless of how moved and convinced Marufuji Ryo felt, Yūrei himself could feel his scalp tingling with pure cringe-induced embarrassment. His toes were trying to curl up inside his shoes hard enough to dig out a three-bedroom apartment in the floor.
Shadow Cyber Style. Secret lost techniques. 'You're my best big brother.' Jesus Christ, I can't believe I actually said all that with a straight face. This is worse than any cringe compilation I've ever watched.
But there had been no choice in the matter. According to Yūrei's careful investigation and cultural research over the past few days, dojo successors like Marufuji Ryo and people with traditional Japanese cultural values seemed to absolutely fall for this exact kind of appeal.
Shadow branches. Ancient master-student inheritance. Help from mysterious seniors who shared your lineage. Dramatic reveals of hidden connections.
Just look how moved the kid was! He was practically developing anime-style emotion bubbles! One more heartfelt speech and Ryo might actually start crying those big sparkly tears!
It's so cringe it loops back around to being brilliant. I hate that this works.
And this mental blow delivered from the inner psychological level via Talk-no-Jutsu mode was something not explicitly mentioned in the system's tutorial explanations. It was like a Hidden Clear Condition—one of those secret objectives that veteran players discovered through experimentation and shared on forums.
Now, Yūrei had clearly and completely grasped this Hidden Condition!
The formula was simple once you understood it:
A Duelist's body must naturally be conquered through Dueling—through superior play, through demonstrating mastery of the cards, through tactical brilliance that forced them to acknowledge your strength.
But the heart? The heart had to be conquered with Talk-no-Jutsu! With words that resonated with their deepest desires and fears! With narratives that gave meaning to their struggles!
Body through cards. Heart through words. Both equally important.
Even for a simple novice stage mission, Yūrei—as a veteran Card Game Enthusiast with pride in his craft—absolutely had to achieve a perfect five-star clear rating!
Nothing less would satisfy him. Nothing less was acceptable.
Taking a deep breath to center himself and suppress the lingering embarrassment of his own dramatic performance, Yūrei raised his head and locked eyes with Marufuji Ryo. His gaze was sharp, commanding, filled with the authority of a teacher about to take on a student.
"Very well, then!"
His voice rang out clear and strong across the arena.
"Second-rate Duelist Marufuji Ryo—step forward!"
Hearing this direct command, Marufuji Ryo immediately straightened up. Despite everything—despite his recent failures, despite his shattered confidence—some part of his academy training kicked in automatically. His posture became military-perfect, his expression focused and determined.
He practically snapped to attention like a soldier reporting for duty.
"Present, Shadow-senpai!"
Perfect. Absolutely perfect. This is going exactly according to plan.
Yūrei allowed himself the smallest internal smile of satisfaction as he prepared for the next phase.
Time to show this struggling genius exactly what the Shadow Cyber Style could do.
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