Tearlaments Runick: × Stun Runick: √
"I'm not! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"
Sheng Ning immediately took three steps back and denied it three times in a row.
Her duel with Munin had already been torturous enough. And that had apparently been the "normal-world usage" Youye spoke of. Just from the name, underhanded usage sounded even more torturous. She had no desire to try it.
"All right." Youye sounded somewhat regretful, then turned his expectant gaze toward Munin.
Munin had accepted her defeat so wholeheartedly that there was definitely no issue with the cards. The only question was whether he could secure the archetype. If he could, a Tearlaments Runick fusion deck might not be unusable.
Munin noticed Youye's gaze and naturally understood what he meant. She had actually decided to give him the archetype when he summoned Unicorn, but Youye's performance had been far too outstanding, giving her another idea. She looked at Youye seriously and said:
"Youye, if possible, I want you to keep using our Runick archetype in the future. At the very least, Runick should be the main engine. I have a feeling that if it's you, you can take the Runick archetype to unimaginable heights!"
"As repayment, I'll return to the Spirit World and speak with Hugin. She'll give you the other half of the Runick archetype cards. In as little as half a year, or at most a year, you'll be able to use every card in our Runick archetype."
"If I refuse, will you still give me the archetype?"
Youye frowned slightly upon hearing that.
Runick was strong, but compared to his own Tearlaments archetype, it was inferior by countless levels. Giving up Tearlaments for Runick would plainly be like dropping a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds.
Still, it would be a shame to miss this opportunity. He had been in this world for ten years and did not even have a complete deck. Though that was because he only wanted to play meta decks and refused to build Normal Monsters, the fact remained. If he could secure the Runick archetype, he naturally had to try.
Hearing Youye's question, Munin sighed inwardly. She understood that by asking this, Youye had chosen his own archetype and rejected Runick. She slowly explained:
"You can, but some cards will be missing. For example, there'll only be one copy of the core field spell, only one or two copies of the more effective Quick-Play Spells, and at most two copies of the in-archetype monsters. That will greatly reduce the strength of our Runick archetype."
"I see. Then there's no problem. As long as there's Fountain and Hugin, it's fine if there are at least some copies of the others. I'm not too demanding about that."
After hearing Munin's words, Youye felt relieved.
From what she said, the Runick cards he would receive were basically equivalent to Runick under Master Duel's previous Forbidden/Limited Status. Although there was only one copy of the core Fountain, it was more than enough for him right now. First, the opponents he had encountered were not strong. Second, while Tearlaments Runick was admittedly a malformed deck, it was not entirely without merit.
"Youye, that was a little hurtful. My Runick archetype isn't weak. In Master Duel, I could reach Grandmaster Rank with a half-crippled Runick deck. Even some of you humans' Heavenly-ranked duelists weren't my match."
Seeing Youye speak like that, Munin puffed out her cheeks and put on an angry expression as she reminded him.
"Okay, okay, I know." Youye nodded with a smile, as though humoring a child.
"I'm not a child!" Munin clenched her tiny fists in warning, looking as though she would physically teach Youye a lesson if he treated her like one.
"Mm, you really aren't a child!"
Youye swept his eyes over Munin's curvy figure and nodded in agreement. That size was indeed not something a child possessed.
"Hold out your hand, palm up. I'll give you the archetype!"
After being looked at like that, Munin stamped her foot in anger. What angered her was not his comment, but the fact that Youye had truly only been admiring her, with no other thoughts behind it.
She was a beautiful spirit, the Face and Figure Representative of the Runick archetype. Not only humans, but even in the Spirit World, she had plenty of pursuers. Youye was the first man she had ever encountered like this.
"Okay."
Youye did not continue teasing Munin. He nodded slightly and held out his hand, palm upward.
Seeing this, Munin grew serious once more. She gently placed both hands atop Youye's. The pitch-black wings behind her spread wide, while Runick Fountain and the phantoms of the various Runick spirits appeared around them. They surrounded Youye at the center as a pale blue radiance appeared from nowhere and began flickering around them.
"Let the great Dueling Rules bear witness! In the name of Wings of Runick - Munin, from this day onward, I shall share the Runick archetype with the human Youye. So long as he does not abandon it, the Runick archetype shall become his right-hand aid and help him defeat all enemies!"
The instant Munin finished speaking, Youye felt a cool sensation in his hand, as if water droplets had fallen onto it. When he looked down at the hand he had extended toward Munin, there was already a stack of cards in it. At the same time, he felt a certain connection form between himself and Munin.
Delighted, he began checking exactly which cards Runick had given him.
One copy each of Fountain, Tip, Destruction, then two copies each of Freezing Curses, Smashing Light, Slumber, and Storm. All the others were at three copies. As for the Extra Deck, there was one Hugin, while Munin, Hugin, Lion, and Horse each had two copies.
Overall, it was easily disrupted, but barely usable.
"Congratulations on obtaining the Runick archetype, Senior. If you need any cards or have anything else you need help with, you can come to me. The Bureau Chief has given me full authorization to assist you."
Seeing the smile on Youye's face, Sheng Ning spoke from the side to congratulate him.
"Oh? The Inspector Bureau can provide its cards to outsiders too?"
Youye was full of surprise upon hearing that. Every family and faction in this world guarded its Card Pool tightly. The Inspector Bureau before him was willing to give him cards?
"Ahem, ahem, of course not for free. The Inspector Bureau's cards can be offered to you at a thirty-percent discount. If you help our Inspector Bureau modify the Ancient Gear build, you'll get fifty percent off. If you join us, we'll give them to you directly!"
Sheng Ning coughed awkwardly twice, then immediately relayed what Wang Cheng had told her earlier. At the same time, she opened her tablet and handed Youye the card list.
"Fine. Let me see the card list first. We can talk about the rest if there are cards I want."
With that explanation, Youye instantly understood and accepted the tablet. He knew these were terms the Inspector Bureau had offered to win him over. Setting aside whether he would join them, the thirty-percent and fifty-percent discounts were quite good and could save him a great deal of money.
An hour later.
"Hiss... Messenger of Peace? There Can Be Only One? Solemn Judgment? Spore of Growth? Foolish Burial Goods? Upstart Goblin?"
Youye had not realized it until he looked. Most of the card list consisted of Normal Monsters and nearly useless trash cards, but when he saw those cards, he could not help drawing a sharp breath. His Tearlaments deck finally had several more cards to use, and another deck build began taking shape in his mind.
Tearlaments Runick: ×
Stun Runick: √
It was not that he wanted to play Stun Runick. The main issue was that he truly had no other cards, so he could only be forced to play it. He believed that anyone in this world who dueled him would understand. He would definitely bring laughter to the people of this world.
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