# Chapter 2: The Academy's Dog-Walking Squad from the Fusion Dimension
"Let me see what these Dream Tickets can be exchanged for." Liu Hao opened the system inventory.
After a thorough look, Liu Hao understood what these Dream Tickets were for:
UR Dream Tickets could be exchanged for Onomat monsters that fall under four archetypes, as well as their support cards.
SR Dream Tickets could be exchanged for Onomat monsters with dual archetypes or less, and their support cards.
After some thought, Liu Hao used two UR Dream Tickets to get a four-archetype Utopic Onomatopeia and one Onomatopaira.
He then used four SR Dream Tickets to exchange for two Zubababancho - Gagaga Coats, one Gagaga Sister, and one Gagaga Head.
Subsequently, Liu Hao opened ten Designated Archetype Random Packs, specifying the Onomat archetype.
Each pack contained three cards. Out of the thirty cards in total, Liu Hao only acquired three that were remotely useful: one SR-rank Dodododwarf Gogogoglove, one Dododo Draw, and one Gagaga Thunder. The rest were all pointless cards.
Next, Liu Hao turned his attention to his chances at the Xyz Monster prize draw.
"Oh, great God of Dueling! I am willing to sacrifice ten years of my college roommates' lives! Just give me a few reliable, generic Rank 4 and Rank 6 monsters!"
Several flashes of light later, three cards appeared in Liu Hao's hand.
Photon Strike Bounzer, Constellar Ptolemy M7, and Heroic Champion - Excalibur.
"These three cards?" Liu Hao slapped his forehead. "Damn system, why don't you just give me an Onomat Change skill while you're at it?"
"Whatever. Let's see the Number Card prize draw." Liu Hao clicked on the last card pack in his inventory.
Unlike the three Xyz Monsters from before, the moment this pack opened and the card appeared in his hand, Liu Hao's vision darkened. A destructive impulse welled up from his heart, and on the back of his right hand holding the card, a number shrouded in faint, black energy appeared.
Fortunately, this didn't last long. The Extra Deck holder at his waist flashed with light, suppressing the destructive impulse and the dark, numbered sigil on his hand.
"Phew..." Liu Hao let out a long sigh. "So this is a Number Card? Talk about intense!"
After calming himself, Liu Hao looked at the Number Card in his hand—Number 70: Malevolent Sin.
"This one? Not bad." Liu Hao casually used the red scarf tied around his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he surveyed his surroundings.
The surrounding ruins and rubble made Liu Hao frown. "Which Yu-Gi-Oh! world is this? Why does it look like a warzone in Afghanistan?"
Just then, a voice rang in his ear. "Brother Yūga Hōzumi! This is bad! The Academy Army found our base!"
Liu Hao followed the sound and saw a small boy stumbling toward him, his face etched with anxiety.
"Yūga Hōzumi? Is he calling me?" Liu Hao wondered.
At that moment, a flood of memories poured into his mind.
This body's original name was Yūga Hōzumi, the Chief of the Heart Garden Red Heart Duel Academy.
After the Fusion Dimension's Academy Army invaded, he had led the Duelists of Heart Academy in a tenacious resistance.
Yesterday, after repelling a contingent of the Academy Army, the original owner had succumbed to his severe injuries, allowing Liu Hao to take over his weakened body.
After accepting the original owner's memories, Liu Hao—no, it should be Yūga Hōzumi now—was dumbfounded. "XYZ Dimension? Academy Army? Resistance Army? Is this the world of Arc-V?"
Yūga Hōzumi's first instinct was to run. Was this a joke? If you lose here, you get turned into a card!
But at that moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind:
[Main Quest: Reforge the Glory of the XYZ Dimension]
[Phase 1 Mission Activated:]
[Mission Requirement: Unify the forces of the XYZ Dimension's Resistance Army and repel the Fusion Dimension.]
[Current Mission Node: Repel the Academy Army Vanguard.]
[Quest Reward: Designated Archetype Random Pack x3, System Shop Module Unlocked.]
[Mission Failure Penalty: Be turned into a card.]
Well, it seemed he had to bite the bullet. Dueling offered a sliver of hope; running away meant being turned into a card instantly.
"Brother Yūga Hōzumi, how are you?" the small boy from the Resistance Army asked hurriedly, seeing Yūga Hōzumi drenched in sweat.
"I'm fine. Where are they? Take me there," Yūga Hōzumi said, waving his hand.
"We're just too useless," the small boy said, his face full of self-blame. "If we were a bit stronger, Brother Yūga Hōzumi, you wouldn't have been injured yesterday. And you wouldn't have to duel now while you're still hurt."
"Don't say that," Yūga Hōzumi replied. "As your Chief, it's my job to protect you all."
When Yūga Hōzumi and the small boy arrived, an Academy Army soldier holding a sword-shaped Duel Disk was about to turn a defeated duelist into a card. Seeing this, as if influenced by the original owner's residual consciousness, a boundless rage flared within Yūga Hōzumi.
"Stop!" Yūga Hōzumi roared.
"Oh? So you finally decided to show up, Chief of Heart Academy. I thought you'd run away," the Academy Army Vanguard said, halting his actions and looking at Yūga Hōzumi with a cold stare.
"But it's good you're here. I'll just deal with you while I'm at it. Although your Heart Academy is the weakest of the rebel factions in this dimension, getting rid of you is still a great accomplishment," the vanguard continued.
"Treating me like a pushover? Aren't you afraid of chipping a tooth?" Yūga Hōzumi retorted, activating his Duel Disk. "Let's see you try."
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
"I'm going first!" the Academy Army Vanguard declared with a smile, looking at the indicator light up on his Duel Disk.
"My turn!
"I summon Ancient Gear Hound in Attack Position!"
A green mechanical hound leaped from the opponent's Duel Disk and charged toward Yūga Hōzumi.
"When this card is summoned, its effect activates, inflicting 600 damage to the opponent."
The mechanical hound bit down on Yūga Hōzumi's leg, and a sharp pain shot through it.
Yūga Hōzumi LP: 4000 → 3400
"Ugh!" Yūga Hōzumi couldn't help but cry out, thinking, *So monsters in this world can inflict actual physical damage?*
"Can't take it already? This is just the beginning. If you don't want to suffer, then obediently let me turn you into a card," the Academy Army Vanguard sneered.
"Don't celebrate too early," Yūga Hōzumi said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Oh? It seems I'll have to crush you completely for you to understand that your resistance is utterly meaningless." The vanguard sneered and waved his hand. "I activate the effect of Ancient Gear Hound!"
"Once per turn during my Main Phase, I can Fusion Summon an 'Ancient Gear' Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using monsters from my hand or field as material!"
"I send this card on the field, along with Ancient Gear Golem and Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon from my hand, to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon!"
"Mechanical hound and giant who inherited ancient glory, merge as one and become the ultimate power!"
The Academy Army Vanguard clasped his hands before his chest, fingers intertwined, as a massive vortex formed behind him.
"Fusion Summon! Appear, Megaton Ancient Gear Golem!"
...
(end of chapter)