Even if he can't beat me, this still feels like a scam, You Ye muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully instead of accepting the duel right away.
His casual pondering froze Dark Bug's crooked grin in place.
The man blinked, utterly lost.
"Huh?"
Beside him, the Cloaked Man's eyes glowed faint green.
Dark Duels were wagers of life itself—literal leverage duels.
And like any lever, there was a ratio.
This one was about one hundred to one.
Their side's demand—that You Ye join them and share his dueling knowledge—was valued within a hundred times Dark Bug's worth.
By rule, You Ye should have been compelled to accept.
But if the system still let him think, that meant something shocking:
The Duel Rules had judged that You Ye's value—his knowledge, skill, or potential—exceeded even a hundredfold of a near-Earth-Rank duelist.
That was absurd.
A lever ratio that could pry at Heaven-Rank duelists couldn't move him?
Then the Cloaked Man's disbelief turned into thrill.
If we can't move him, it means he's worth more than a Heaven Rank!
Recruiting him is the right move—if only we can trigger the duel at all!
But how to make the leverage balance…?
How to force the duel to begin?
A few seconds later, realization—and despair—hit him.
He'd have to offer a card You Ye wanted, and remove all extra conditions, to balance the scale.
Only then did the system lock in the forced duel.
"Huh? So the rules changed…" You Ye glanced at the Duel Notice that appeared before him.
"It says: forced duel, but the terms are lighter—just joining them if I lose, no more giving up knowledge or deck builds.
And if I win, I get all of Dark Bug's assets, including his archetype pool… plus one bonus card of my choosing?"
He blinked.
"Night," Mu Ning explained quickly, still restrained by the black-armored knight, "you can think of a Dark Duel as a lever. When their side couldn't match your value, the system increased their wager and reduced yours until equilibrium was met. That's how the forced trigger happens."
"Got it," You Ye said, the corner of his mouth lifting.
And then—he laughed inwardly.
So these so-called Dark Duelists aren't monsters at all—they're walking gold mines waiting to be farmed.
His gaze lit up like a predator's.
The Cloaked Man felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine, as if he were the prey.
Wait… which one of us is the Dark Duelist here?!
"Brat, you look down on me that much?" growled Dark Bug, his hoarse voice dripping with fury.
He was a near–Earth-Rank duelist, a Dark Duelist feared throughout the underground.
Ordinary duelists fled at the mere sight of him.
Yet this newly certified human duelist was ignoring him completely!
Sure, you, Ye, had a terrifying Master Duel rank, but this was a real-world duel—one where only your deck mattered.
And the system prevented him from using any of his outside "power decks."
"Yes," You Ye said without hesitation.
He turned, looked Dark Bug up and down once, and nodded seriously.
Mu Ning: 0v0?!
The Cloaked Man: oO?!
Dark Bug: ┗|｀O′|┛!!!
The air froze. Even the Cloaked Man couldn't hold back a strangled laugh.
A question that bold—and an answer that blunt!
"Fine!" Dark Bug snarled, veins bulging on his thin neck. "Then let's begin. I hope you won't be crying for mercy later!"
"I look forward to it," You Ye said, smiling faintly.
Duel Start!
You Ye (LP 8000) vs Dark Bug (LP 8000)
Both drew five cards.
By system prompt, You Ye chose the first turn.
"Any actions before Main Phase?" he asked.
"None," Dark Bug replied after glancing at his hand.
"Then let's go."
You Ye began.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Runick Dispelling!
I special summon Hugin the Runick Wings in Defense Position.
Upon successful summon from the Extra Deck, I discard Effect Veiler to activate Hugin's effect!"
"Chain 2!" Dark Bug snapped. "I discard a card to activate Chaos Hunter from my hand!
When you special summon a monster, I can discard one card to special summon her to my field!"
Resolution:
Chain 2: Chaos Hunter is special summoned in Attack Position by discarding Built-in Machine Gun.
Chain 1: Hugin's effect adds Runick Fountain to You Ye's hand.
"Hahahaha! Arrogant now, aren't you? One card—and your whole deck is shut down!" Dark Bug threw back his head, laughing.
Mu Ning's face hardened.
She'd faced this exact counter once on the ladder.
If her opponent hadn't misplayed against Dog, she'd have lost then.
Now, this Dark Duelist had come prepared—clearly having studied the Runick archetype's weaknesses.
The Cloaked Man relaxed, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Victory, to him, was already certain.
Only You Ye seemed unmoved.
His eyes rested briefly on the white-haired woman in black—Chaos Hunter, whip in hand—then shifted to the graveyard.
Built-in Machine Gun… Chaos Hunter. I see the combo.
He already knew what deck this was.
And what counter strategy was used?
"I activate the Spell Eye of Ruptured Space!
From this turn onward, I draw two cards and gain two Normal Summons.
In exchange, I can't activate the effects of monsters in my hand this turn."
He played it calmly.
"Ha! So much for the 'great You Ye' I heard about. Without your Master Duel tools, you're just another rookie!"
Dark Bug sneered, licking his lips.
"You activated Eye of Ruptured Space—so no Effect Veiler now! You've crippled yourself.
If I leave your Hugin alive, your only out is to top-deck Infinite Impermanence!"
He leaned forward, eyes manic.
"Come on, prodigy! My deck… is a Burn Deck!"
Before he could even finish, You Ye cut him off with a small sigh.
"I know. The moment you discarded Machine Gun, I figured it out."
"What…?"
"You're not scared?"
For the first time, Dark Bug hesitated.
He knew of You Ye's encyclopedic card knowledge—and the possibility he'd overlooked something terrified him.
After rereading Chaos Hunter's text several times, he relaxed slightly.
"Hmph. Bluff all you want. Without Impermanence, your LP's gonna burn away turn by turn!"
"Good luck," You Ye said lightly. "My turn ends."
There wasn't an ounce of fear in his tone—only quiet pity in his eyes.
Dark Bug thought he was gambling on drawing Infinite Impermanence next turn.
He had no idea that was the worst possible outcome.
Because once You Ye drew any monster,
he could summon Predaplant Verte Anaconda,
link into Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon,
and wipe the board clean.
After all, duels were living things, not equations to be memorized.