This duel completely overturned True Silent Magician's old notions about human duelists. You Chen's style was entirely different from that of other duelists.
There was a certain method to it.
And what was this deck built around? Surprise One Turn Kill attacks!
Catching opponents off guard and killing them in a single turn.
If they dueled again with this kind of deck, You Chen definitely would not be able to beat True Silent Magician.
The reason was simple. Once this strategy was understood, it would become completely useless.
That was also why Underworld Decks were not suitable for climbing the ranks. It was not that they lacked power, but that they were easily countered and targeted.
That was why You Chen had been so eager to prepare a Soul Deck from the very beginning.
Only then would he have the capital to respond to anything.
"I won! That was truly an interesting duel!"
You Chen smiled.
True Silent Magician truly deserved to be called a spirit. Her mentality was far better than a human's. Although this duel had raised her blood pressure, it was not enough to make her lose her temper.
"I lost."
"A bet is a bet. You are my new master now."
True Silent Magician descended from the sky, her mood somewhat low. She was not upset because she had become You Chen's spirit.
She was upset because this meant no one would save her former master.
After all, only if You Chen had lost would he have needed to fulfill the wager. Now that he had won, there was naturally no need for him to rescue her former master.
A pure white magic circle spread across the ground, enveloping both You Chen and her. The light of a contract had already formed on their foreheads, bearing the shape of the Millennium Eye.
The light did not last long. Once it faded, You Chen could already sense the bond between himself and True Silent Magician. Even without speaking, they could communicate through their hearts.
"So the contract is complete now?" You Chen only said it casually; he naturally understood that the contract had already been formed.
True Silent Magician gently nodded.
"Yes."
You Chen extended his broad hand and held it open before True Silent Magician.
True Silent Magician blinked, not understanding what he meant.
"This is...?"
Only then did You Chen say, "Give me your deck."
Hearing that, True Silent Magician finally understood and voluntarily handed over her deck. This was also why gaining a spirit's recognition allowed one to obtain so many cards.
Just like that, an entire deck was in his hands.
Although True Silent Magician said nothing, her heart dimmed.
It was not that she could not give him the deck. She simply did not want to see someone so utilitarian.
You Chen's behavior undoubtedly seemed a little too calculating.
What did it feel like? Like a couple getting married with no buildup whatsoever, only for the woman to immediately ask the man for money to buy all sorts of things the next second. It was not that he could not give it to her, but the feeling was unpleasant.
But You Chen's next words made her freeze in place, even leaving her filled with shame.
"Mm, this deck is pretty good, but it still needs to be strengthened. Otherwise, it will probably still be difficult to deal with those Duel Spirits in the secret realm."
You Chen held his chin as he examined the deck and spoke thoughtfully.
The moment he said that—
True Silent Magician felt as though she had misheard him and urgently asked, "You mean you're still willing to go to the secret realm?"
"Why? You won, yet you're still willing to take that risk?"
Hearing this, You Chen did not answer directly. He slid the deck into the card case at his waist and slowly said, "From the beginning, winning or losing the duel was never important to me. What mattered was that I enjoyed the process of dueling you."
"Of course, winning was even better."
"And since you have already become my spirit..."
"I will naturally fulfill your request. Otherwise, wouldn't our relationship just be something held together by a wager?"
"As a qualified duelist, I will do my best to fulfill my spirit's requests."
"If I can't, then I'll just switch to another spirit."
The first half of You Chen's words had been quite lovely. True Silent Magician had never heard such touching words before, and there was even a glimmer of moisture in her eyes.
But the final sentence nearly broke her.
If he could not fulfill her request, he would just switch to another spirit.
Still, no matter what, True Silent Magician finally smiled, her cherry lips curving upward. This time, she was no longer silent.
After all, You Chen had only been so eager to obtain her deck because he wanted to rescue her former master more effectively.
Even though he had already won, he was still willing to risk his life in the secret realm.
That alone was enough to move anyone.
"I will also do everything I can to help you!"
True Silent Magician said softly, light returning to her eyes.
It seemed this human was more reliable than she had imagined.
And perhaps he might even make a good match with her former master.
That way, she would not have to leave either of them.
Naturally, You Chen had no idea that True Silent Magician had silently started shipping him with someone.
The light screen around them dissipated at that moment.
You Chen reappeared among the crowd.
True Silent Magician was already floating above him.
"Let's go. I still have a duel to get to."
You Chen checked the time. The Underground Duel Tournament was about to begin.
"Mm-hm!" True Silent Magician's silver hair drifted behind her as she slowly flew after him, her lips carrying nothing but contentment and hope for the future.
Dream Underground Duel Arena.
"Lost again. Tonight's challengers don't seem very impressive."
"Come to think of it, all the challengers lost today. Isn't this batch of arena champions a little too strong?"
"Ladies and gentlemen!! Keep cheering! Don't stop!"
"There is still one more match tonight. Please welcome the One-Star Duelist, Night Wanderer!"
The host was a loud-voiced middle-aged man with messy curly hair and casual plaid clothes.
The duelists here did not even show their faces, much less use their real names.
So no one cared much about names. There were all kinds of bizarre ones.
As the host's voice fell—
A tall, slender figure appeared. A young man wearing a Monkey King mask stepped forward.
That was right. It was You Chen.
"Tsk."
"Every duelist, no matter how many stars they had, lost today. A One-Star Duelist will be even less interesting."
"Exactly. Several of those One-Star Duelists had unbelievably terrible plays. Still, they were pretty entertaining to watch. They should open a little cafeteria beside the arena; business would definitely be good."
"Wait!"
"That mask looks familiar. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
"Damn it, I remember now. Isn't that the duelist who beat down a Rare Card Hunter not long ago?"
"No way. A One-Star Duelist beat a Rare Card Hunter who was at least a Three-Star Duelist?"
"Hiss! Then this duel might actually be interesting."
You Chen had not expected to be recognized the moment he stepped onto the stage.
A miscalculation. He should have changed masks.
Thanks to Nanjing Penguin, Black Tech Can't Be Played, 4214, 1243, and 2120 for the recommendation votes! Recently, I've been picking an avatar for the protagonist, but it's so hard to find one with hair who can play cards. If any masters have a suitable picture, thanks!
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