In any case, three minutes was actually more than enough.
Dark completed his deck construction in under two minutes. He looked utterly calm, nothing like someone hastily putting together a deck at the last minute. He simply picked out the Magitech Cards he needed from his Card Case one by one, and before long, he had a complete forty-card deck.
Only after finishing the deck did Dark give Evan Pearson, who had been patiently waiting across from him, a slight nod. "I'm ready."
Evan Pearson did not mind at all.
Making last-minute adjustments to one's deck before a match was perfectly normal.
From another perspective, it merely showed that his opponent was taking this duel more seriously.
Dark had defeated the renowned "Night Baron" in the Academy Cup. Evan did not think he could possibly be Dark's opponent—but even after undergoing intensive secluded training, that did not stop him from dueling Dark.
In short, he had entered the match with the mindset of learning. He had not yet reached his limit; he still had room to improve. Now that the path of magic guidance led straight to the Heavenly Court, obsessing over momentary wins and losses would only be taking the lesser path.
Evan Pearson placed the deck he had prepared beforehand in his palms and silently sensed the feedback from the Magitech Cards.
At Holy Rite Academy, a professor had specifically warned him that if one wished to reach the pinnacle of magic guidance, learning to form bonds with one's Magic Spirits was of paramount importance.
Under the new duel rules, the magician themselves participated in the duel, so their command over their Magic Spirits would inevitably suffer. At such times, the "bond" that could enhance a Magic Spirit's intelligence—or even allow their minds to connect—was the key to