Chapter 28: We, the Silent, Are Truly Formidable

Kaiba Land.

The facility, shaped like a white dragon, was constructed from countless small, mirrored glass panels that resembled dragon scales, reflecting a kaleidoscope of vibrant light. Crowds surged in and out, creating an atmosphere that was both lively and charged with palpable tension.

This was the site of Duel Academy’s annual practical entrance examination.

The exam consisted of a written test and a practical duel. Only those who passed the written portion were eligible to participate in the practical assessment. Furthermore, the examinee number for the practical exam was determined by one's ranking in the written test, which also dictated the difficulty of the practical challenge.

The final enrollment score was a composite of both the written and practical results. Duel Academy operated under an elite educational system that emphasized strength in every aspect of student life. Once admitted, students were assigned dormitories based on their grades. Dorms for top-tier students featured not only luxurious facilities but also food and services that were incomparable to those of the underachievers.

Naturally, benefits such as credit rewards, priority for purchasing rare cards, and discount rates also varied significantly.

The dorms were divided into three tiers, named after the three legendary Egyptian Gods that stood at the pinnacle of Duel Monsters. The highest tier was "Obelisk Blue," the second was "Ra Yellow," and the lowest—the one the entire school looked down upon as the "cellar dwellers"—was "Slifer Red."

Whenever he thought about this setup, Yu Xuan couldn't help but feel that it reeked of a personal vendetta by the academy's founder, Seto Kaiba.

After all, in the Battle City arc, Obelisk was the God card held by Kaiba himself, while Slifer was the one held by his arch-rival, Yugi Muto (Atem).

It wasn't hard to imagine that when President Kaiba was arranging the dorms, he must have had a twisted, gritted-teeth expression: "Damn you, Yu-gi... to think you just ran off without a word after beating me. Put Yu-gi's dorm... no, wait, label the Slifer dorm as the lowest of the low!!!"

Minion: "Yes! President!"

"..."

The written test results had been released a day ago. Unsurprisingly, Yu Xuan had taken first place with relative ease, earning him the examinee number 001.

Holding the registration card, Yu Xuan recalled something. He remembered that in the original TV series, there was someone who was supposed to be the top scorer. Had he stolen that person's spot? Was it someone called "Four Arithmetic Operations"? Or "Six-Marsh Sky"?

Oh, he remembered now: Bastion Misawa. But it didn't matter. He was just a side character with good grades; deleting him from the story would have zero impact. It was no big deal.

Yu Xuan arrived at the entrance to the examination hall. All examinees had to complete their check-in and registration before entering.

Sitting at the entrance was one of the Duel Academy instructors, the school nurse, Emi Ayukawa. She wore an Obelisk Blue vest and a short skirt, her crossed white legs pressing against each other, highlighting a touch of sensuality. She was the type of "Level D" powerhouse who, when you looked back at your childhood memories, made you exclaim, "She was actually that big?" while leaving you confused about why you had only cared about the card games back then.

But Yu Xuan’s heart remained unmoved, for his mind was entirely occupied with what deck he should use, how he should configure it, and how he would play his cards once he got inside.

A determined duelist is one who is undistracted. Only with a void in one's heart can one be fearless, and only with cards in one's heart can one achieve the unity of man and deck.

"Name?"

"Fujiki Yuxuan."

"Examinee number?"

"001."

"So you're number one this year? Impressive."

Teacher Emi smiled sweetly. It seemed that seeing a fairly handsome student put her in a good mood.

"Alright, register your main deck," Teacher Emi said kindly. She had volunteered for registration duty out of curiosity to see what the new students looked like.

This year's top student had left a good impression on her. Not only were his grades excellent, but he was also handsome, and he carried himself with the politeness of an elegant child. He seemed like a sunshine-type youth...

"I have to register my deck?" This had caught Yu Xuan a bit off guard.

In this world, duelists seemed to have their signature decks and ace monsters that defined their identity. But Yu Xuan always changed his build to prevent others from analyzing or countering him. He had intended to wait until he entered and observed the examiner's deck before making a final decision.

Could it be that once registered, he wouldn't be allowed to change it?

"Student?" Teacher Emi tilted her head, confused.

They were duelists who had passed the entrance exam for Duel Academy; did they really need to think about what deck they used?

She thought for a moment and offered a helpful reminder: "Oh, this isn't a strict audit; it's just a simple registration. Many students have decks without a clear archetype or theme, so you can register based on the types, attributes, or tactics you commonly use..."

Yu Xuan pondered.

"Well, my commonly used cards are Spell card engines, Trap card engines, Spellcaster engines, Warrior engines, Machine engines..."

Teacher Emi: "?"

Are you sure what you're describing is actually a deck?

"Ha... haha, you're quite humorous, student," Teacher Emi laughed awkwardly. "Some students have rather eclectic decks. Why don't you just tell me your ace or your favorite card?"

Yu Xuan fell into deep thought.

Although his monster engine would change, regardless of the configuration, the staples like "generic red traps," disruption to interrupt opponents, and violent card-drawing engines would remain constant.

Thinking of this, he silently reached for a Pot of Greed... and then his hand suddenly froze.

He felt a faint, ominous aura.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the usually reclusive Silent Magician. She had manifested in a spirit form visible only to him, floating silently by his side.

Even though she didn't say a word or move, her resentful little glare seemed to say, "So, I'm not the one you love most after all..."

Yu Xuan took a deep breath.

A survival instinct of unknown origin made him shove the Pot of Greed back and pull out his Silent Magician instead.

"It's... it's the Silent Magician!?" Teacher Emi gasped in shock. "That super-rare card used by the King of Games, Yugi Muto?"

The teacher immediately looked at him with newfound respect.

After completing the registration, Yu Xuan felt the invisible pressure on his chest lift. He looked back, and as expected, the spirit that had been floating behind him was gone.

Yu Xuan let out a long sigh of relief.

That was close. Thank goodness I reacted quickly.

Now, his bond with the spirit should be deeper, right?

*Yatta-ze* (Yes!).

Even if he didn't necessarily need the True Silent Magician for this exam, it was no big deal.

After all, the True Silent Magician can win duels without even hitting the field. Our True Silent deck is just that strong.