The next day, when Kira returned to the dueling dojo, everything felt different.
It wasn't just about how he had changed. Of course, after returning as a champion, he could feel that everyone looked at him differently. As soon as he stepped in, someone took the lead to shout, and then everyone swarmed up to worship the big shot.
But that wasn't all.
When he walked into the dueling arena, Kira immediately noticed that the entire vibe was completely different from his first visit.
The first time he came, duels here still felt like the old days—like two Axe Raiders hacking at each other. Maybe not entirely "you play one, I play one," but the main offense and defense still revolved around both sides desperately summoning stronger monsters to overpower each other.
But today when he walked in...
Apprentice A: "I'll go first. Draw! I set four cards and end my turn!"
Apprentice B: "Nani?! Four set cards to start?! But don't get cocky! Watch my turn, draw! I set five cards and end my turn!"
"..."
Scenes like this were happening all over the arena.
Just a week ago, when Kira first arrived, people would mock you if you went first and didn't summon a monster, saying your deck build was wrong.
Now, all of a sudden, this had become the norm.
The dueling style had become very strange. Often, one side would set three cards in the back row and pass; the other would reciprocate with three or four set cards and pass with an empty field.
Then both sides would just stare at each other, sometimes going several turns before someone finally summoned a monster—only for it to be immediately destroyed by a trap. Then the staring contest continued.
It was a mutual lockdown. The philosophy seemed to be: "If I can't have fun today, you can't either."
Kira: "..."
His friends had fallen into a weird trap.
Trap Beat is indeed a classic deck-building strategy in Yu-Gi-Oh! that's stood the test of time, but Trap Beat is not just about having traps.
The essence of this style is that traps are just disruption—cards that can interrupt your opponent's plays and halt their strategies. But that's just a defensive tactic. To win, you still need to rely on monster attacks (beatdown).
Put simply: you need both offense and defense.
So, this style requires a tight monster core: strong offense, sustain, and consistency, while still making room for plenty of traps to disrupt the opponent.
Even with a heavy focus on traps, the point is to trade resources and create an advantage for yourself. A deck that just sets traps for the sake of it doesn't make sense and has very little combat power.
That's why everyone knows traps are strong, but not every competitive deck is filled with them. Many decks don't have good synergy with traps, or their main engines can't spare the space for so many unrelated cards.
Deck-building is quite a science. Even though old-school decks are destined to be outdated, many competitive ideas never change. Many principles still apply even in today's ultra-fast meta.
But clearly, the dojo's brothers hadn't realized the problem. They just saw Kira beating people with traps and winning the championship, so they thought traps were OP.
In just a week, the dojo's previously healthy atmosphere had gotten toxic.
Kira started self-reflecting.
Was this his fault?
"Hey, Kira!"
One apprentice seemed to remember something.
"Master said if you're here, go see him."
"Okay, got it."
Kira agreed, feeling a bit uneasy. Why did this sound like a teacher telling a student to come to the office after class?
Was the old man dissatisfied with how the dojo had turned so toxic overnight?
But he figured—he didn't teach them that.
At least, not directly.
Confused, he walked through the main hall and found Master Takeuchi already sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. When he heard Kira approach, he slowly opened his eyes and smiled warmly.
"You're here."
"Yes, I'm here."
Seeing the master in a good mood, Kira relaxed and sat down.
"Congratulations on your championship," said Master Takeuchi.
"It's thanks to your guidance," Kira replied politely.
But Master Takeuchi smiled and shook his head. "You're too polite. But we both know your current level is beyond anything I could teach."
He paused, then looked Kira up and down.
"You're different now, I can feel it," he said. "I don't know what kind of encounter you had, but you're not the same as us ordinary duelists anymore.
It's subtle, but sometimes you just know. When you see a duelist on the field—their presence, their stance—you can just tell they're different."
This idea struck Kira as a bit novel.
He'd heard that warriors and assassins could recognize each other at a glance, maybe due to some sort of killing aura. But could this apply to card players?
What would that be called?
Card Aura?
But he thought he was just someone who'd transmigrated here. In his previous life, he was just a casual player, not a pro. In this world full of cheats and spirits, he had neither. How could he have a different presence?
"I'm not the first-generation master of this dojo," the master began reminiscing. "My predecessor was the truly powerful duelist.
He spent his life promoting the dojo's philosophy, nurturing outstanding duelists among the younger generation, and seeking someone worthy of inheriting the style.
But..."
He sighed.
"One time, during a duel... I don't know who the opponent was, and the master never spoke of it. All I know is, he seemed to have lost.
After that, he fell ill and was hospitalized. No doctor could find the cause; his health just kept declining...
Until he finally fell into a coma and hasn't woken up since."
Kira frowned.
That sounded a lot like the legendary Shadow Duel.
You might ask, can playing cards kill someone?
Well, that's the Yu-Gi-Oh! world for you. Shadow Duels are all-powerful: not only can you die, but your soul can be captured, your mind manipulated, the loser turned into a puppet—anything goes.
That's why, even in a world of the supernatural, a master duelist is a true king.
But if this was a Shadow Duel, it sounded like the opponent wasn't all that strong—since the former master lingered for so long before falling into a coma.
"Before he passed out, the master passed the title of dojo leader to me, along with the style's symbol: a rare card.
But I knew I didn't have the talent or the right to inherit that power. So I sealed the deck away, just as the previous master had done, waiting for someone worthy to appear..."
Master Takeuchi sighed and turned to Kira.
"...Until today."
PS: Read atleast 42 advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode