Life Points at Zero, and Still Getting Corpse-Kicked?

You Chen and Hua Ningning, meanwhile, looked like they were basking in divine light from heaven, gaining +1000 LP.

In stark contrast, Huang Tianhai and Lin Yingying's side was like purgatory, with acid rain pouring down on them!

"Ah!!"

1000 LP!

Another 1000 LP gone, leaving them with only 2500 LP.

You Chen and Hua Ningning's combined LP had already reached 9000 LP, creating a stark contrast with their opponents' meager remaining LP.

And because of Magic Absorption, they gained another +500 LP, bringing them to 9500 LP.

You Chen's deck wasn't just about Lava Golem; it also contained unique LP-draining effects, though he didn't always get the perfect starting hand.

If he relied solely on Side Effects as the core strategy, he'd be at a huge disadvantage if he didn't draw it. That's why You Chen's deck involved not only LP gain and LP drain but also pure LP drain to mitigate the pressure of a bad hand.

Moreover, even if these cards were drawn, they wouldn't lead to a dead hand; he could continuously gain LP to play a war of attrition.

Therefore, this Magic Absorption card, though it seemed out of place, was actually integral.

Even Cooling Fire could be combined with Magic Absorption to special summon during the opponent's turn.

"At this moment, I will activate the effect of Cooling Fire."

"Once per turn, while this card is in the Monster Zone, if either player gains LP: You can activate this effect. Either player gains 1000 LP."

When You Chen said this, Huang Tianhai and Lin Yingying's hearts sank.

"What?!"

"Don't tell me…"

They seemed to have realized something.

"That's right, of course, I'm going to restore 1000 of your LP."

"We already have plenty."

You Chen displayed a friendly, sunny smile.

But at that moment, in their eyes, it looked like the smile of a demon.

1000 LP!!

"Ugh!!"

Huang Tianhai and Lin Yingying suffered another wave of damage, screaming in agony.

The scene was truly unbearable, almost as if You Chen was tormenting them.

And they were utterly powerless to retaliate.

Their LP was now down to 1500.

"I'll set two cards and end my turn." You Chen didn't make any extra moves; after setting two cards, he ended his turn.

At the commentary desk, Duoduo, the commentator, couldn't help but feel sorry for the two First High School students.

This duel, from the very beginning, was undoubtedly too cruel for them.

"Wow, this LP drain is really brutal."

"They haven't even entered the attack phase yet, and by the time it's Lin Yingying's turn, she's practically out of LP. You have to admit, that's the advantage of LP drain."

"The more you watch, the more addictive it gets."

In the arena with thousands of spectators, many people sighed.

It seemed that 8000 LP wasn't that hard to deplete.

How could they be on the verge of losing before the attack phase even began?

"It's my turn, draw!"

Lin Yingying gritted her teeth and drew a card.

But drawing a card now was an anxiety-inducing experience.

Because against You Chen, almost every time they drew, he would activate an effect.

Sure enough.

"Hold on! I activate my set card, the Quick-Play Spell Card, Hermit's Venomous Potion!"

"You can activate 1 of these effects. ● You gain 1200 LP. ● Inflict 800 damage to your opponent."

"I choose to inflict 800 damage to my opponent!"

"It looks like neither of you will get to see Lava Golem," You Chen said.

"It's a bit of a shame I couldn't let Lava Golem have its fun."

The face-down card in front of him flipped over.

It was an old witch in robes, holding two bottles of potion, one green and one purple.

She then gave the opponent a purple bottle of venomous potion.

800 LP!!

"Ugh!"

Huang Tianhai and Lin Yingying shrieked again, their blood pressure skyrocketing.

Emotion Value +1880!

"That's not enough. Because of Magic Absorption's effect, I recover another 500 LP. And because I recovered LP, Cooling Fire's effect triggers again."

"I'll restore another 1000 LP to both of you!"

After You Chen finished speaking, the entire audience gasped.

"Holy crap, that's brutal! He's going for the instant kill."

"Hiss, it's only Lin Yingying's turn, she hasn't even warmed up her cards yet, and she's already done for?"

"This LP drain is insane, that's 8000 LP! Even if I could attack, it'd take a few turns, right?"

"Isn't this basically an FTK in a tag duel?"

Amidst the audience's murmurs, Huang Tianhai and Lin Yingying's eyes were filled with dread. They were truly terrified of the LP drain; they might even be screaming about it in their sleep.

1000 LP!

"Ah!!!"

This wave directly reduced their LP to zero.

Their final screams and the sight of their defeat were even more tragic than before.

They had completely lost it.

Hua Ningning finally let out the pent-up frustration in her heart.

So satisfying, it was incredibly satisfying.

Yu-Gi-Oh! truly was a game where only one person could be happy. It was impossible for both players to be happy.

Unless it was a tag duel.

Because at this moment, both of them were happy.

"Ugh! I can't accept this, this isn't a real duel!"

Huang Tianhai, who had always thought highly of himself, who had always been at the top since entering First High School's key program, and who had long enjoyed the spotlight and comfort of his established zone, watched it all crumble in that moment.

It was unbearable for him.

His chest felt tight. For someone with his personality, facing an Underworld Deck could genuinely infuriate him to death, or so it seemed.

Huang Tianhai looked utterly distraught; this battle had dealt him too great a blow.

Damn it, why did I even play Yu-Gi-Oh!? It's so frustrating and not fun at all.

Mainstream decks can't beat Underworld Decks.

The light had left his eyes, and he began to doubt himself.

You Chen showed no mercy. This Collegiate League was undoubtedly the best mirror, revealing the true forms of all these "monsters" and "demons."

Truly strong duelists wouldn't doubt themselves just because they encountered some setbacks.

Even if their opponent used an Underworld Deck.

From this, it was clear that the duelists in this world still had fragile mindsets.

As someone who had been active on various dueling platforms like MD, OCG, YGO, and DL for years, a qualified Underworld duelist must possess two qualities:

Talk trash when you're winning, surrender quickly when you're losing!

However, in reality, talking trash easily gets you beaten, so he decided against it.

"Congratulations to You Chen and Hua Ningning! They've successfully won the first tag duel!!"

The host had snapped back to reality by this point, announcing loudly and then gripping the microphone tightly, raising it high.

This duel victory instantly made more students eager to watch You Chen's duels!

This unique, refreshing, and surprisingly effective dueling style quickly became the center of attention.

Coupled with You Chen's handsome looks, it was no surprise he gained a significant fanbase.

As a result, the cheers of support grew louder.

Many thanks to Qiu Se Tou, Seventh Crow, Black Tech Can't Handle It, and Ren Yi for your recommendation votes!

There are still plenty of readers, but the recommendation votes are dwindling. I'll add another chapter if we hit 300 more votes. Please show your support!

This LP-draining strategy isn't solely reliant on Side Effects. Although he could still win without them, the next round will demonstrate a winning method that doesn't involve Side Effects.