By then, Seto Kaiba had already stepped onto the rope ladder lowered from a helicopter. As he rose into the air, one hand gripping the ladder and his coat flapping violently in the rotor wind, he looked down with a low chuckle. "If you are a true Duelist, then cut through everything and cross all walls and obstacles, and come before me in that law of the jungle called Duel City. I hope you will not disappoint me like that ordinary fool did."
Yugen said nothing. He could not help thinking that the president really did not need to take a shot at Jonouchi every time he spoke.
After Seto Kaiba finished his business, he quickly went off to handle his own matters, while Yugen continued following Mokuba Kaiba to Kaiba Corporation Branch. When they came out, Yugen was already carrying a large box packed full of cards. Just looking at it made him feel the trip had been worth it.
Yugen figured that even if he could not use some of them, taking them back to sell would still be a good option. After careful sorting, he roughly divided the selected cards into three categories. This way, he could decide what to keep and what to turn into money later.
The first category was general purpose cards that still had value in the current environment. There were not many rare ones here, and the higher priced examples were mostly things like Magic Cylinder. They were useful, but nothing that would change his Deck by themselves.
The second category looked useless at first glance, but made him think of specific combos, special Deck builds, or niche situations. Some of these cards felt dead in hand most of the time, but once a duelist understood how to draw what they needed, they could solve boards that normal answers could not touch. To Yugen, these were cards with hidden potential.
The third category was simply expensive junk with no real use. They reminded him of many cards that had been in the original owner's Deck when he first arrived in this world. High price, low impact, and not worth keeping.
Back when he had just arrived, he sold off those overpriced but useless cards right away. Combined with the rewards before the Moonlight Cup Tournament and the subsidies from Duel Dojo, that sale became his starting capital, and at a good price too. Now he followed the same logic, picking out valuable cards to box up, planning to sell them and later buy what he actually needed.
Overall, this trip was a big gain, and a few cards stood out the moment he saw them. Among the most representative was this one. It was impossible not to recognize its power at a glance.
Ultimate Offering, a Continuous Trap Card. By paying 500 Life Points, the user can Normal Summon one monster. This effect can be activated during their own Main Phase or the opponent's Battle Phase.
There was no need to explain much, as it was a card famous for being banned for ages. In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, any card that stays locked away for years is almost wearing a medal of honor. Cards like that are never harmless.
In actual history, it was officially banned in 2014, but during the GX era it was still legal. It was the classic type of old card that looked simple and rough at first, but only grew more broken as the game evolved. Time itself proved how dangerous it really was.
Another card caught his eye right after. It was one that shared the same notorious reputation. Even years later, its name still carried weight among duelists.
Makyura the Destructor, Level 4, ATK 1600. If this card is sent to the Graveyard, its owner can activate Trap Card from the hand during that turn. (ANIME EFFECT) Its strength needed no explanation, and the length of its ban history was its flashiest resume.
The last one needed even less introduction. It had been famous since its first appearance long ago. Even now, it still showed up from time to time in modern play.
Lava Golem, Level 8, ATK 3000. It cannot be Normal Summoned, but can be Special Summoned to the opponent's field by tributing two monsters they control. During the turn this effect is used, the owner cannot Normal Summon, and the owner takes 1000 damage each turn.
Ever since it first appeared in the hands of the young Marik Ishtar in early anime days, it became the ancestor of tribute based strategies. It did not have the same long ban history as the previous two, but even today it could still show up and devour anything, gods included. Watching an opponent spend minutes building an untouchable board, only to see it eaten in one move, was enough to keep certain people happy for a whole week.
With the joy of a great haul, Yugen carried the box and headed out, feeling fully satisfied. Just before he left, Mokuba Kaiba showed a slightly strange expression. He seemed to be thinking about something he had noticed.
"Is it just my imagination," Mokuba Kaiba asked, "or do you really like cards related to Marik Ishtar?"
Yugen paused to think. He had not noticed it himself before, but once Mokuba Kaiba pointed it out, it did seem true. Somehow, those cards kept catching his attention.
Thinking about it, Marik Ishtar really was ahead of his time. Not just him, but also his sister and his servant, the whole tomb keeper trio were nothing to underestimate. So many early dark tricks came straight from that family.
This made a new thought pop into Yugen's mind. That family had fulfilled their duty of sending Pharaoh Atem back to the Underworld at the end of DM, and then vanished from the scene. But if they never stopped Duel, after eight years, who knew what those three had become.
If he ever had the chance to meet them, exchanging ideas on the latest dark techniques would be amazing. If he could even trade for some truly rare old cards, that would be perfect. For now, though, it was just idle thinking, since the tomb keepers had disappeared without a trace.
He was also very interested in the new Duel Disk that the company president had shown today, so he asked Mokuba Kaiba about it. Unfortunately, it seemed to be not for sale. It had been classified as a weapon system, so it could not be released freely.
After thinking it over, Yugen felt that made sense. If anyone could buy a Duel Disk that summoned solid monsters to attack people directly, traditional firearms would look laughable in comparison. That kind of power was not something to sell casually.
"Still, the latest standard model Duel Disk is fine," Mokuba Kaiba said with a smile. "It is also not officially released yet, of course without the weapon system." Because of that, Yugen happily received a new Duel Disk.
With a true Return with Full Spoils feeling, Yugen planned to carefully check his gains that night. He would put the cards meant for sale on the academy trading platform first, then review his recent experiences and adjust his Deck with the new cards in mind. All of it felt like steady progress.
Through reviewing the recent Duels, Yugen had begun to notice something about himself. He was not sure if it was because of his talent as a reincarnated player, or because of the bonus from a Spirit. Either way, he felt he had gained a certain ability related to destiny.
It was not something he could see or touch, but something he understood through practice and real matches. He could not casually win in a single turn like anime protagonists, and he still did not dare stuff several unrelated systems into one Deck. At the very least, though, reliable top draws felt achievable.
Based on his own imperfect guess, he was probably around the level of an ordinary first rate duelist. That was roughly the level of an average participant in a Duel Academy unit round. It sounded normal, but for a regular player, it was already enough to justify bolder changes to deck building.