Yu-Gi-Oh!: Starting with an Underworld Deck, Depressing the World

With that, Jiang He jumped straight from his own boat onto the one carrying Jaden Yuki and the other two.

He planned to take the easy way out and hitch a ride!

He couldn't be bothered to row himself anymore.

"See you too, then, A... Alexis!"

Seeing this, Syrus Truesdale, Jaden Yuki, and the others also said goodbye.

Then they took up their paddles and rowed away together!

This guy... really is getting more and more interesting.

Watching the boat recede with Jiang He hitching a ride, Alexis Tenjo couldn't help smiling faintly.

The two close friends who followed her both looked puzzled.

Then they exchanged somewhat perplexed glances.

They both had the feeling that

Alexis seemed a little different today...

But it couldn't be because she was interested in that awful guy named Jiang He, could it?

What she had said earlier in the lecture hall

surely had just been a misunderstanding on their part.

They definitely had the wrong impression!

The two immediately put the feeling aside.

They returned together with Alexis.

The small lake fell quiet once more.

"When it comes to alchemy, a simple example is turning ordinary metal into gold. In a broader sense, it means turning ordinary substances into perfect substances..."

The next morning, another theory class was underway in Duel Academy's lecture hall.

At the lectern, a man with glasses and narrow eyes sat holding a cat as he explained the alchemy he taught.

He was Professor Banner, the teacher in charge of the Slifer Red dorm, whom Jiang He had barely seen since arriving at Duel Academy two days earlier.

Each of the three dorms, divided by rank within Duel Academy, generally had a Duel Academy teacher serving as its head.

That way, they could give students some basic help when special circumstances arose.

They also saw to the academy's regulations.

Professor Banner, who specialized in alchemy, was the head of the Slifer Red dorm.

Although supernatural things like alchemy really did exist in this dueling world,

Jiang He had no interest in hearing more.

As far as he knew, alchemy was ultimately just a way of using the power of Duel Spirits.

Thus, all he had to do was make good use of his system cheat.

He would naturally gain plenty of abilities and power for dueling.

At that moment, Jiang He was leaning on a raised desk at the back of the lecture hall, propping up his chin with one hand, looking as though he were sleeping or lost in thought.

In reality, he was looking at the system's virtual interface before him, which no one else could see.

He was tallying up his gains from last night's duel with Alexis, as well as checking the system shop, whose exchange options had just refreshed today!

[Name: Jiang He]

[Skills: Clear Mind, Duel Spirit Sight Ability (the power to see Duel Monsters spirits, call out to them, and sense them)]

[Current decks: One-turn Kill Exodia the Forbidden One Deck, Lava Golem Deck (underworld lockdown style)]

[Emotion Points: 2200]

In last night's duel, Alexis Rhodes alone had provided him with 1,700 Emotion Points.

Jiang He couldn't help marveling to himself.

What a big spender!

Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to farm another round from Alexis anytime soon.

Even if he wanted a duel, Alexis probably wouldn't be willing for the time being.

After all, there was a risk her blood pressure would get too high and she'd be sent to the infirmary...

A pity as it was, there were still plenty of targets at Duel Academy.

Jiang He wasn't worried at all about running out of places to earn Emotion Points... Pah! Places where he could show his kind heart and "spread some warmth"!

Chapter 33: Crowler, the Old Unlucky Guy

Jiang He then looked with a little anticipation at the system shop, which had refreshed today.

[System shop (randomly refreshes once every two days, providing four exchange options each time)]

Today's options:

[Deck: Arcana Force Deck (Sartorius version)] 500 points.

[Deck: Morphing Jar Deck (underworld deck-out style)] 1000 points.

[Deck: Stealth Bird Deck (underworld burn style)] 1500 points.

[Skill: Mark of the Crimson Dragon: Dragon Head Mark (the Crimson Dragon's protective power, which negates the harmful damage caused by Shadow Duels)] 3000 points.

"Mark of the Crimson Dragon: Dragon Head Mark?!"

Jiang He's eyes lit up when he saw the skill that had appeared in the refreshed system shop.

Although in the normal duels he currently fought, the damage caused by Duel Monsters couldn't actually hurt people,

it could at most cause some pain.

The power of Duel Monsters spirits couldn't materialize in the real world and hurt a target.

But Jiang He knew

that Shadow Duels, which caused real damage, also existed in this dueling world!

Anyone who could command some of a Duel Spirit's power,

or possessed a special dark item, could conduct a Shadow Duel!

In a Shadow Duel, the power of temporarily materialized Duel Monsters would seep into the real world and cause people real harm!

Once they had taken a certain amount of damage, they might not be able to stand up and continue dueling, even if they still had Life Points left.

They could even be seriously injured themselves after defeating their opponent.

Most importantly, the loser of such a Shadow Duel would suffer terribly.

It was basically playing cards with their lives on the line.

Jiang He had been wondering

what he should do if he encountered such a Shadow Duel later.

To his surprise, when the system's exchange options refreshed this time, they had given him

a self-protection ability he sorely needed!

[Skill: Mark of the Crimson Dragon: Dragon Head Mark (the Crimson Dragon's protective power, which negates the harmful damage caused by Shadow Duels)] 3000 points.

"Since there's a Dragon Head Mark, could there also be other Mark of the Crimson Dragon abilities, like a Dragon Foot Mark or Dragon Wing Mark...?" Jiang He muttered thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

It reminded him of a certain dragon in this dueling world who wasn't supposed to appear until countless years later, whose power was in no way inferior to the Egyptian God Cards':

the Crimson Dragon, Quetzalcoatl, who also bore the name of a god!

Could what I can exchange for from the system be the divine power of a Duel Monsters spirit equivalent to a being like that...?

Jiang He wondered in amazement.

"If that's really the case, then I've struck it big this time." A smile appeared on Jiang He's lips.

But whether it was or not, he was determined to get this ability to resist Shadow Duels.

As for exchanging for a new underworld deck, that could wait a little.

The true underworld power of his underworld lockdown-style Lava Golem Deck hadn't even come into play last night.

The only thing that annoyed Jiang He a little was...

As useful as this Mark of the Crimson Dragon ability was,

the Emotion Points needed to exchange for it in the system had also risen from the 2,000 points needed for the Duel Spirit Sight Ability

to 3,000.

The 2,200 Emotion Points he'd saved up actually weren't quite enough...

Jiang He was a little numb.

Fortunately, he wasn't that far short.

He remembered that there seemed to be a practical dueling class that afternoon!

Some unlucky guy would surely be assigned as his opponent then.

He could earn a batch of Emotion Points from him!

Unlike Jiang He, who even had the leisure to check the system and sleep during alchemy class,

in the office of the person in charge of practical dueling,

Professor Crowler paced rapidly back and forth in front of his desk, anxiously trying to think of a solution, his face clouded with worry!

"I wonder if the photo poor student boy Jiang He took last night captured what I look like."

"If this goes on, once that photo showing what I look like gets exposed, Chancellor Sheppard will definitely expel me before I can get poor student boy expelled... super mamma mia!"

At the thought of Jiang He giving the photo to the chancellor and Chancellor Sheppard firing him, Professor Crowler was so frightened that he shook his blond mushroom head repeatedly!

"No, no, absolutely not, no-ne!"

"I have to keep poor student boy placated first, then find a way to hire that duelist everyone's been talking about lately to win that photo from poor student boy Jiang He..."

"What a brilliant idea. Yes! That's what I'll do!"

Crowler nodded as he talked to himself, his expression unconsciously turning comical as his eyes darted about.

Click!

Just then, the office door suddenly opened.

Startled, Crowler darted back behind his desk at once, straightened his posture, and put on a serious expression.