Yu-Gi-Oh!: This is the real duel!

The king has made his entrance.

He stuffed two spare cards and three Exodia cards into his deck, then casually put on his coat and walked outside.

Youche promptly reminded him, "Game, when I was playing against the AI ​​just now, I discovered that the system was using the Dark Magician deck, which is very likely based on your deck. This might be a conspiracy by Pegasus. If possible, it's best not to reveal too many tactics."

“Thank you, Youche.” Wang Yang turned around, smiling confidently. “However, if it really is Pegasus gathering our tactical information behind the scenes, then it means he’s already afraid!”

"Each card has infinite possibilities, and a deck of forty cards can generate countless tactics!"

“If Pegasus wants to see it, then let him see it all!”

"The Thousand-Year Eye can only see through people's thoughts, but it can never see through the mind of the card!"

After saying this, Wang Yang gave everyone a thumbs-up, then turned and left.

Watching his retreating figure and recalling his words just now, You Che was deeply moved.

While battling the AI, he was constantly thinking about how to hide his trump card.

But Wang Yang doesn't care about any of that!

In his view, even if he laid out every single card in his deck to his opponent, he would not lose a single duel!

Is this the king's confidence?

When boarding the ship, Youche thought he would be unable to defeat him because of those five Exodia cards. But now, as a transmigrator, Youche finally understands that the difference between himself and the king is not "luck" or "divine draw". In terms of confidence alone, he is far inferior.

Just ten minutes later, Wang Yang returned with a smile. The cards he won were "Level Down", "Silent Swordsman Lv0" and "Silent Magician Lv0".

This level of reward is enough to show that he achieved a very high score in the battle against the AI!

At night, after adjusting the deck, everyone went to rest.

The group was given the right to use two rooms. Since Xingzi was a girl, she was given a room to herself, while the other boys stayed in the other room. The room was big enough, with a double bed and a sofa, so it was more than enough for the four boys.

The next morning, the fiery red sunrise painted the sky and the sea with dreamlike colors!

Amidst the melodious whistle of the cruise ship, Yu Che and his companions prepared for departure. Standing on the deck, they gazed into the distance and saw that the Duel Kingdom Island was already close at hand.

Meanwhile, on the island's castle, Pegasus, the father of Duel Monsters, had been waiting for a long time, ready to welcome all duelists.

He had already watched the replay of last night's match and had a basic understanding of the game's tactics.

As the cruise ship drew closer, Pegasus, his long, silvery-white hair fluttering in the wind, revealed a sinister smile:

"Hmph hmph hmph~"

"Although I didn't get more data, the moment I put the deck on the machine, I already knew every single card in your deck inside and out!"

"Game Boy~"

"Youche Boy~"

"No matter what your abilities are, you can't possibly defeat me in this kingdom!"

"In the end, the cards containing the spirits will belong to me, the Millennium Puzzle will belong to me, and the business that Kaiba Boy built with his own hands will also belong to me!"

Chapter 31 March onward, brave duelist!

"Welcome! Duel Kingdom!!"

"Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!"

Bright fireworks burst in the sky above the island, and under the illumination of the 3D projection equipment, a cute cartoon rabbit emerged from the ground and jumped onto the top of the castle.

The duelists' attention was drawn to it. Looking up, they saw the cartoon rabbit slowly descending from the sky and nestling into the arms of a long-haired man.

The man was wearing a burgundy suit, and his long, silvery-white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, obscuring half of his face.

In this world, no duelist could possibly be unaware of this man's identity.

He is the genius designer who brought "Duel Monsters" to players—Pegasus J. Crawford!

"Haha~ What an adorable little guy~"

Pegasus pretended to pet the cartoon rabbit in his arms, then waved to the duelists standing below the city walls.

"Welcome to my fairytale city—Duel Kingdom!"

"Today, you will begin to pursue your duelist dreams right here!"

"In the end, the winner of this tournament will not only receive generous rewards, but will also be crowned with the highest honor in the dueling world—the title of 'King of Duels'!!"

As soon as Pegasus finished speaking, a thunderous cheer erupted from the beach.

Yuzuru stood among the duelists, with Yugi and Jonouchi beside him.

At this moment, the gentle game has ended, and now his "millennial master" – Yogi – is on the scene.

From the moment Pegasus appeared, Yugi stared at him with a cold and hostile gaze.

Meanwhile, Jonouchi was constantly searching for insects and moths in the crowd, determined to avenge Yugi.

"The rules for this Duel Kingdom Tournament are a little different from usual~"

Standing atop the city wall, Pegasus, in his peculiar accent, began to explain the rules of the tournament.

"As you top duelists have surely noticed, each participant has two star chips in your hand."

"This competition will adopt a 'battle royale' style of rules!"

"The Star Chips are equivalent to your lives!"

"In every duel to come, the duelist must wager at least one star."

"When someone loses all their star chips, they are disqualified from the competition and eliminated!"

"Finally, within 48 hours of the start of the competition, the first four duelists to collect ten star chips and reach the castle gate will be eligible to participate in the final battle of this tournament!"

Up to this point, the rules are the same as those in Youche's memory.

But what Pegasus said next gradually surprised and took him by surprise.

“However, the role of stars is not just as simple as a bargaining chip,” Pegasus smiled mysteriously. “On this island, stars are also used as currency. Duelists can use star chips to exchange for supplies and cards with NPCs generated by virtual projections!”

These words caused all the duelists present to become extremely excited.

Even before they came to participate in the competition, they had heard that the International Illusion Society was going to link its new card series with the Duel Kingdom tournament.

Based on the dueling AI and reward cards seen on the cruise ship yesterday, the duelists have a general idea of ​​one thing: most of the cards they obtained in this competition are likely related to the "Lv" series!

Last night, many duelists failed to earn rewards by battling the AI, so many were excited when they heard today that they could redeem them with Star Chips.

Seeing the duelists' excitement, Pegasus kindly reminded them, "While most of the new series of monsters possess powerful evolutionary abilities, the number of tokens required to exchange for them isn't low either."

"Therefore, all duelists should plan their tactics carefully and avoid running out of chips in the pursuit of powerful cards, which could ultimately cost you the chance to participate in the finals."

Pegasus smiled and continued:

"In this competition, besides the other duelists around you right now, your opponents also include the 'Duelist Hunters' hidden on the island!"

"These 'Duelist Hunters' are quite powerful, but if you can defeat them, you will receive a large reward!"

"As for the other hidden rules of this competition, we cannot reveal them here."

"In short, this island has dangerous traps and hidden treasures, cunning hunters and kind merchants!"

"The cards that serve as maps have already been distributed to you. Please find them yourselves and embark on your adventure!"

Finally, I wish every duelist the best of luck in achieving their desired results!

Fireworks burst forth once more, and the excited duelists raised their arms and cheered!

Wang Yang pondered Pegasus's words carefully and said, "It seems that the Star Chips are more important in this competition than we thought! So accumulating chips is the most important thing to do right now!"

Jonouchi exclaimed excitedly, "Alright! Then let's choose that despicable insect moth as our first opponent!"

“However, it seems he had already hidden himself before disembarking.” Kyoko looked around.

At this moment, some impulsive duelists have already begun their duels on the beach.

The group looked around and saw a grassland to their left and a vast forest to their right.

Although the rules of this competition are somewhat different from the original work, Youche really wanted to wander around, but he wasn't in a hurry. He decided to travel with Youqi and the others for a while first, and then act alone.

"Pegasus said at the end that there's also treasure hidden on this island," Youche suggested. "So, obviously the probability of finding treasure in the forest is higher than in the grassland, right?"

Wang Yang nodded in approval: "However, there is a greater possibility of traps in the forest."

Honda said, "In that case, let's go to the grasslands first! After all, the city's strength is relatively weak, and it only has one star. It's better to develop steadily first..."

"What?!" Jonouchi exclaimed indignantly, "I was a top-eight finalist in the national tournament!"

“They’re just the top eight in the region,” Kyoko said with a laugh, pointing out the obvious.

"Hmph!" Jonouchi rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "Don't look down on me! What's so great about the grasslands? As adventurers, we should go to dangerous places! I've made up my mind! I'm going to the forest!"

After saying that, Jonouchi ignored Honda and Kyoko's advice and strode into the forest.

You Che and Wang Yang exchanged a glance, smiled helplessly, and followed.

In the forest, butterflies and insects flutter about, it's hard to tell whether they are real, living things or just virtual projections.

Some quick-moving duelists had already gotten ahead of the others. Jonouchi looked at the trail of footprints in the mud and was quite annoyed: "What the hell! Someone has already been here. Even if there were any rewards, they've definitely been stolen! I've decided to take another route!"

Before he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards a strange and eerie path.

But he had only walked a short distance on the path when everyone heard a "click" sound coming from under his feet.

"What?!"

"What is that sound?!"

"Could it be a landmine?"

"Are you kidding me?! Why would Pegasus plant landmines during a match?!"

Just as everyone was arguing, a magical light shone from the bushes nearby, projecting a virtual image of a homeless man deep into the path.

The homeless man leaned against the trunk of an old tree, tossing a coin between his fingers. After a while, he suddenly looked up and gazed into the city:

"You, it's you! The duelist who just stepped into the trap!"

"I've been alone in this boring place for far too long."

"Since you're here, how about... we play a game?"