Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

It was as if there were no living people inside...

Or perhaps, the existence of Wan Zhangmu was simply ignored by them...

"It's no use. This is the Duel Academy North Branch. They won't open the door unless you have 40 cards that you can use for duels..."

Just as Manjoume was pondering his next move, a bald man sitting in front of a fire not far from him suddenly struck up a conversation with Manjoume, who was pounding on the door.

His face bore the deep marks of weariness and vicissitude; judging by his appearance alone, he was clearly a middle-aged, balding, laid-off man…

I don't know why he came to the Duel Academy. It couldn't be that he came to take the entrance exam, could it?

At his age... he's almost a grandfather...

"Is this the North? I clearly have a card in my hand... why won't they open the door?"

As the north wind howled, Wan Zhangmu, feeling a slight chill, walked towards the fire and sat down next to the bald man.

"Hmm? I see, so that's how it is... Your cards are completely soaked! You can't use these cards for duels... Why don't you dry them off first?"

"...How long will it take to roast like this?" Looking at the tiny flames, Manjou frowned.

"Uh……"

Looking at the vast array of cards, the bald man, who was hugging himself tightly in front of the fire, offered a suggestion: "Or... you could also look for the scattered cards around here to build a temporary deck..."

"Oh? Do the students here like to discard cards, just like at Duel Academy?"

Upon hearing the bald man's words, Wan Zhangmu couldn't help but show an expression of interest.

However, this interest soon turned into disappointment.

The discarded card couldn't possibly be a powerful one, and even if you went to great lengths to retrieve it, it probably wouldn't be very strong.

After all, people wouldn't throw away a card that's truly useful.

"Yes, cards are hidden in the crevices of the icebergs surrounding the academy and deep in the caves. Collecting forty cards is the requirement for admission here."

Gazing into the unknown distance, the bald man, seemingly a guide in a game, turned to look at Wan Zhangmu beside him and said with a hint of self-mockery, "If we find those cards, we can go inside; otherwise... we'll face the same tragic fate as me..."

"Tsk, don't you have a card? Why are you sitting here?"

Looking down at the man's left arm, Manjoume saw his Duel Disk and the card deck placed inside.

"Ah, this... There are only 39 cards here... I've tried so hard to collect them, exhausting all my willpower and energy, but I'm only missing this last card..."

The bald man, looking somewhat pained, covered his head as he spoke.

An intense atmosphere of despair began to emanate from him.

"So that's how it is. You, like me now, are just an excluded and left-behind individual?"

Upon hearing the bald man's explanation and realizing the current situation, Wan Zhangmu showed an expression of agreement.

Then, he took out five from his pocket.酒%@④}#⑨=⑧@*八&-八=*零<$七|{六~>一里掏出了一张银行卡，展示给了加*~1&N{Ｊ%0$#1&７>%4<$5@9#~４}9/$8秃顶男观看：“喂！做个交易吧，我把这张卡给你，你把你的卡组交给我。”

In Wan Zhangmu's hands, there is still a card that can be used normally now, which is the [Disruption Yellow] card that the seaweed man gave him and that he despised.

If he can get the remaining 39 cards from the bald man, he will have enough cards to enter the castle.

As for the bank card in my hand...

Hmph! As the third young master of the Wanzhangmu Group, this amount of money, though an astronomical sum for ordinary people, is nothing more than a little bit of his private savings.

In these difficult times, it's not a bad thing to trade it for a deck!

As for painstakingly searching for cards in the crevices of icebergs... Manjoume never even considered such a foolish act.

If something can be solved with money, why bother working hard?

"How about it, uncle? This card has..."

Waving the bank card in his hand, Wan Zhangmu subconsciously adopted his old superior attitude.

With such generous terms, I'm sure this down-on-his-luck man wouldn't refuse!

312 Resurrection, a thousand-foot-long lightning bolt! (6K)

The Northern Academy, covered in ice and snow, is located near a bonfire at its entrance.

The cards were wet from the seawater, and only one of them, [Disruption - Yellow], was currently usable. Wan Zhangmu handed a large green bank card to the bald man sitting next to him and suggested, "Uncle, here, take this card... In exchange, how about you give me the other cards you have? You don't need them anyway! With your cards, it'll be just enough for me to get into the castle."

When Wan Zhangmu said these words, his face was filled with strong confidence.

He believed that the bald man would not refuse such an attractive offer.

However, to Wan Zhangmu's surprise...

Faced with the tempting offer, the bald man, who looked somewhat disheveled and exuded an aura of dejection, rejected Wan Zhangmu's proposal without hesitation: "No! These cards are proof that I'm here! Are you planning to take them away with money?"

"For duelists, cards are more important than life itself! How could I possibly give them up just because of your money!"

Instead of feeling happy, the bald man who saw Manjoume's actions suddenly hid the Duel Disk containing the card deck into his arms.

That protective attitude clearly showed that he valued these cards more than his own life.

"..."

Seeing the bald man's reaction, Manjoume remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up: "...Fine, do it yourself...Since you're unwilling to trade, I'll just collect the cards myself!"

Manjoume's proud pride wouldn't allow him to make any pleading gestures.

Therefore, after confirming the bald man's attitude, he decisively gave up his plan to continue persuading him.

"...I refuse to believe that anything can stump me, Mr. Manjoume!"

Muttering these words to himself, Manjōmu turned around, waved his robes, and embarked on his journey without hesitation.

At this moment, he seemed to have completely forgotten that not long ago, he was thinking about how to be lazy and how to take shortcuts...

"Be careful! The more powerful the card, the more dangerous it is hidden... If you only think about collecting 40 cards and are unwilling to take risks, then you'll only end up with useless cards that the students have discarded..."

As the figure of Wan Zhangmu gradually disappeared into the distance, the bald man kindly offered a reminder.

Upon hearing the reminder, Manjoume waved his hand in response.

……

"Well……!"

Ah...ha!

A cold wind blew by, and the hem of her clothes fluttered.

From day to night, from dawn to dusk.

Having traversed glaciers and oceans, and endured countless failures and setbacks, Manjoume's resolve had only grown stronger. Now, fueled by sheer determination, he gritted his teeth and continued climbing the treacherous ice peaks: "Just watch! Yusei, Jaden Yuki, Chronos... and those who look down on me! I will definitely collect all 40 cards... I, Mr. Manjoume, will never be eliminated!"

All the resentment he felt in the past has now become the driving force for his progress.

Reflecting on past failures, his ambitious mindset gradually changed during this process.

……

"This way, it's over!"

Standing once again before the gates of Northern Academy, holding the last card he had collected in front of him, a complex mix of emotions flashed in Wan Zhangmu's eyes.

Even he himself never imagined that he would actually do something that seemed incredibly foolish to him in the past, and that he would actually succeed...

"Hey~ Uncle, you're still here?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the bonfire in front of the door. The bald man was still in the same position as when Wan Zhangmu left, sitting cross-legged on the ground with his arms crossed, gazing into the distance.

During the time that Manjoume was away, he seemed to do nothing but quietly contemplate the meaning of life.

"Ah! You're back? Did you collect all 40?"

Looking at the Manjoumu standing before him again, the bald man couldn't help but show a look of shock.

Could it be... that he actually accomplished that almost impossible task?

With his thumb and forefinger resting on his chin in a smug pose, Manjoume began to boast about his glorious achievements: "Ah... in the icy sea, I fought with orcas from the North Sea, climbed towering cliffs, battled ferocious polar bears, and in the pitch-black caves, I outwitted and outmaneuvered vampire bats..."

"...After overcoming numerous difficulties and dangers, I have finally collected all of these brand-new cards!"

As he spoke, Manjoume showed his Duel Disk to the bald man, where a brand new deck was prominently displayed in the deck section.

As for the previous cards, they had already been dealt with separately by Manjoume and put into his card bag one by one.

I believe it will be ready to use soon.

"Oh? So... you'll be able to enter Northern Academy soon?" The bald man clenched his fists, a look of envy on his face.

His gaze toward Wan Zhangmu was filled with sincere admiration.

Bald man: "Thank goodness! Thank goodness! You're back safe and sound... Actually, I've been regretting it ever since you left..."

Manjoume: "...Regret?"

Bald man: "Yeah... I should have given you the deck back then, so you wouldn't end up like me, so young and destitute... But you came back safe and sound! Now I can finally rest easy!"

"Go in...this door will open for you!" The bald man pointed to the heavy, tightly closed door.

"..."

Looking at the bald man's excited face, Wan Zhangmu remained silent.

After thinking for a moment, he took out a card from his deck and said, "Uncle, come in with me too."

"……Why?"

"Here's a card for you. Now you have 40 cards, which will allow you to enter this place."

"Give me your card? But you're not..."

"...Don't worry, I've already collected all 41 cards! Besides...this card is one I don't need in my deck..."

As he said this, Wan Zhangmu reached out and took out the useless [Disruption Yellow] card, handing it to the bald man in front of him.

"I can't believe... there are such good people like you!"

Tears flowed out.