Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

However, despite the speculation that "the Blue Dormitory is prone to internal strife because it is full of top students," the actual situation was quite different from what Hayato thought.

Although at the beginning there were indeed situations like "Everyone in the Blue Dormitory is a top student, why should we listen to your orders?", the "leaderless" situation was easily resolved once someone stepped forward.

"Oh my, the juniors really trust you, they practically obey you every word." Standing next to Marufuji Ryo, Edward teased him, "I never expected to see the legendary 'Kaiser' so popular during his time at Duel Academy in this way. I thought I wouldn't have that chance after you graduated."

"It has nothing to do with popularity. I graduated a year ago, and the students I knew during my time at school are already third-year students. The reason I can still command them is simply because I am stronger than them. That's Duel Monster—victory is everything."

Edward raised an eyebrow: "Last year's 'Second World Martial Arts Tournament,' huh? It's a pity I didn't finish the whole tournament because of Saiou's matter. Otherwise, maybe we could have faced off again in the final eight? My deck has changed a lot since then, Caesar."

"Want to win back? But even if your deck changes, the outcome won't change; I'll still win." Caesar said matter-of-factly, but after a pause, he continued, "If you want, this world can too."

"No, let's forget about this world. Although neither of us has put on that dangerous 'death gauntlet,' the loss of life points in this world of card spirits will still translate into real damage. I'm not the kind of person who would be so foolish as to waste my time at a time like this." Edward waved his hand, indicating that he was patient enough to wait until he returned to the human world before challenging Caesar.

In another timeline, Edward and Caesar did not participate in Professor Cobra's "exposé duel," nor were they implicated in the "Great Transfer" incident along with the others in the academy after Jaden's duel with Professor Cobra. However, the current situation is slightly different.

After the "Second World Martial Arts Tournament" last year, Edward and Caesar remained at the Duel Academy. Caesar was more curious about the strength of "John of the Jewel Beast," whom Pegasus had not been able to face last year, rather than having a public duel with opponents he had already fought.

John's public performance with Jaden also pleased Caesar. It not only confirmed that Jaden was still getting stronger and worth the effort to continue dueling with him, but also that John's strength lived up to his reputation. Caesar's card addiction made him somewhat restless, wanting to challenge John to a game to see which was stronger, Rainbow Dragon or Cyber ​​End Dragon.

However, because John collapsed after that demonstration duel caused by the "death band," Caesar couldn't find a suitable opportunity. By the time John had finally recovered, the "reveal duel" was about to begin. Although Caesar had long since abandoned the so-called "respect and courtesy" and other formalities, that didn't mean he was a card addict who would disregard others' physical condition for the sake of playing cards.

Because the rooms in the Blue Dormitory were empty, Caesar, who remained at the academy as a "renowned alumnus," was not only spared from being expelled from the school, but his old room in the Blue Dormitory was also preserved and not assigned to anyone else. So he simply stayed in the Blue Dormitory and waited for Jaden and the others to resolve the crisis of the "Death Bracelet." As a result, he was transferred to another world along with the students from the Blue Dormitory.

As for Edward's situation, it's even simpler—he was originally a first-year student who officially entered the Duel Academy last year. However, he signed a special agreement with the school at that time, granting him special freedom of movement. In order to accommodate the arrangements of professional competitions, he was exempted from following the school's teaching assessments and other programs. Professor Cobra couldn't require him to wear the "Death Gloves." He could not only move freely on the island but also attend classes of whichever grade he wanted.

Similarly, because the blue dormitory room was empty, Edward wouldn't mistreat himself by going to the red or yellow dormitory. He also chose a room in the blue dormitory as his own. He wanted to continue learning more at the Duel Academy to improve himself so that he could surpass and defeat his two current targets—Jaden, who was also a [Hero] user, and Kaiser, who had defeated him.

However, he didn't wait for Hayato's teaching class to resume; instead, he witnessed this "great transfer."

Fubuki collapsed and remained at the academy while trying to verify the dangers of the "exposing duel." Manjoume and Asuka, two third-year students who were considered leaders in the Blue Dormitory, went with Judai to deal with Professor Cobra. There weren't many outstanding individuals among the first and second-year students in the Blue Dormitory. Initially, the Blue Dormitory almost fell into internal chaos due to the incident, but Caesar stepped forward and became the temporary commander.

"Speaking of which, how did you get the nickname 'Caesar' in the first place?" Edward asked curiously, as if something had occurred to him.

"Because I'm too strong, no one in my grade is my match," Ryo Marufuji admitted. "Although there were some at the beginning, something happened that caused them to disappear one by one, leaving me as the only one who was precipitously ahead of the other students in the school."

"Is it because of your repeated victories that one can't help but think of Caesar, who famously said 'I came, I saw, I conquered'?" Edward teased with a smile. "The first person to give you that nickname would never have imagined that you would actually become 'Julius Caesar' now, would they?"

“I just hate the messy, chaotic scene. If the people here were to fall into internal strife, I would be very troubled too,” Marufuji Ryo said calmly, then corrected, “And, historically, ‘Caesar’ was always just a dictator, and I have no intention of leading these people.”

“But at least you’ve taken action, haven’t you? Distributing food, reassuring others with your presence—these are things a competent leader would do.” Ed paused, putting on his Duel Disk. “And also, you’ve proactively gone out to search for the missing school.”

"Although I don't know the specifics, there should be more than just people from Obelisk-Blue Dormitory who have come to this Card Monster World. But the only buildings in sight are Blue Dormitory and the Girls' Dormitory. We can't just sit here and wait to die; we have to find the main campus of the academy."

Caesar glanced at Edward and said, "I just want to find out if there are any opponents in this world worth defeating. There's no room for peace and compromise in the hell I inhabit. As for you, why did you come out with me?"

"Wouldn't it be so cool, like a hero, if we could find the academy? We can't just let you have the chance to show off."

Caesar knew immediately that Edward's reasoning was nonsense, but he didn't delve into it. Instead, he casually said, "It's up to you to follow, but I won't come to your rescue if you encounter any danger."

Upon reaching the exit of the Obelisk-Blue dormitory, a considerable number of people had already gathered there. For security reasons, the students from the girls' dormitory, which was not far from the Blue dormitory, had been escorted there by Caesar "last night." In this world, there was no longer any redundancy in considering privacy.

"Are you leaving, Caesar-senpai?" Junko Makuda asked Caesar with concern. She and Momoe Hamaguchi had both been brought to the Blue Dormitory by Caesar, and seeing him about to leave made Junko Makuda very uneasy.

Because of her words, Caesar stopped and looked back at the boys and girls around him. Everyone had the same expression as Junko Mamida.

Seeing this, Caesar calmly said, "From now on, it's up to you. If you distribute the food according to my plan, it should be enough to last you at least a week. However, if you still haven't received rescue before the deadline, try going out." "In this world that is no different from hell, struggling is always better than waiting to die."

Hamaguchi Momoe took Makuta Junko's hand to comfort her friend. Watching Caesar and Edward walk towards the door, the two women looked at each other and said in unison, "Caesar-senpai, Edward-kun, may you have good luck in your battles."

"I wish you good luck in martial arts—"

Amidst everyone's blessings, Caesar and Edward walked out of the Blue Dormitory. At the Duel Academy, beyond the Blue Dormitory lay a lush green forest, and beyond that, a lake on the island. From across the lake, one could see the villa where Principal Kobayashi Hayato lived—because of this, some even considered "being able to bask in the duelists' talent from the principal's dormitory every day" as one of the special perks of the Obelisk-Blue Dormitory. Crucially, quite a few people actually came to the lakeside to pray for good fortune before each assessment.

However, there are no forests or lakes in front of the current Blue Dormitory, and the principal's villa is nowhere in sight. The only view is a vast sea of ​​sand.

"So, which direction do you want to go next?" Edward asked Caesar. Caesar, a graduate who had studied at the Duel Academy for three years, pointed in a certain direction and said, "When I was still studying at the school, I could see the school from this angle every time I went out. Let's start from this direction and search."

Hearing Caesar talk about his school days, Edward suddenly laughed: "I just remembered a joke, that is, students mostly use old equipment and objects that have been around for who knows how many years while they are in school, but as soon as they graduate, the school immediately renovates and upgrades them. In a way, isn't what happened this time also like Caesar returning to school after graduation and finding that the school is completely different from when he was a student?"

Upon hearing this, Caesar merely curled his lips into a cold smile and said, "Yes, but the changes this time are a bit too drastic. Even the roads on the 'campus' have been filled with quite a few obstacles."

Seeing the scorpions, centipedes, and other monsters in the desert that had been attracted to the two of them not far from the dormitory, Edward laughed: "Isn't there a saying, 'The campus is our home, and civilization depends on everyone'? It's our duty as students to help clean up the weeds and trash we see on the road."

"So—shall we have a contest to see who can clean up the trash the fastest?"

"It suits me perfectly, in fact, it's exactly what I wanted!"

Undeterred, Caesar and Edward voluntarily approached the monsters in the wild, unfolding their respective duel disks and each playing a card:
"Sebatoragon!" "[D·Hero Diamond Man]!"
-
The dividing line of sudden scene transition —
Question: Life needs to take in enough energy to maintain its activities. The main way humans obtain energy is by eating food. So what is the main food for Duel Monsters?
"I see, I understand now!" Misawa said excitedly, his eyes gleaming with dark circles. "So that's how the Duel Monsters' food is made!"

“Actually, you could go back to rest, there’s no need to start researching right away.” Coach Napoleon looked at Misawa and whispered to Professor Chronos beside him, “As soon as he heard that those Harpies had brought the fruit they were eating, he came over to study it immediately, and he reached a conclusion so soon after getting the fruit. Is this student named Yotsushi reliable, ah?”

"In terms of dueling prowess, Liuzhe isn't the strongest in the school, but when it comes to understanding all sorts of obscure theories, he's undoubtedly the strongest!" Professor Chronos said confidently. "Although I don't quite understand what he could have researched in such a short time, hurry up and explain your findings to us, Gojo!"

“It’s Misawa Daichi!” Misawa complained, picking up the cut tree fruit and a makeshift device that looked like it had been hastily made. “Although it’s a makeshift device, the data deviation shouldn’t be too big. Based on my judgment, the composition of the food that the Duel Monsters eats is at least 90% Duel Energy.”

The two teachers blinked, looking confused: "What does this mean?"

"This means that humans can hardly eat the food of Duel Monsters, because Duel Energy is not an energy necessary for human survival. However, considering that Principal Hayato was able to obtain technology such as the 'Duel Energy Distributor,' he might be able to create a device that can extract Duel Energy from these fruits to replenish the human body's strength and energy."

Misawa's thoughts began to wander, "If that's the case, wouldn't humans be able to fight like a perpetual motion machine until the device reaches its limit? This device that drives the human body to fight continuously, how about calling it a 'Sengoku Driver'? Cough cough, sorry, I'm getting off-topic."

"It's alright if we've gone off-topic, because this fruit is completely useless to us, at least for now." Napoleon said with some disdain, glancing at the fruit in front of him with great disappointment.

"It's such a waste that it can't be used to supplement the school's food shortage." Professor Chronos also had a regretful expression on his face.

"Although the fruit can't be used as food for humans, I've at least discovered something. If Duel Monsters can survive on this fruit alone, then Duel Energy must be essential for their survival. That's why our school attracted nearby Duel Monsters after activating the 'Duel Energy Distributor'."

After a pause, Misawa offered another guess, "Similarly, there is probably a concept among Duel Monsters that 'the amount of Duel Energy they can obtain from preying on the weak is far less than the amount they can obtain from the strong.' I feel that I can already vaguely depict the 'food chain' of the unique Duel Monsters in this desert."

"The practical use of this discovery is—" Misawa said with certainty, "The stronger the duelist, the more dueling energy they can generate. Without the suppression and consumption of the 'Death Gloves' that can absorb dueling energy in real time, a duelist radiating rich dueling energy walking on this desert would be like having a pack of ravenous meat placed in front of a pack of hungry wolves."

"In a way, although this dangerous device caused many students to fall, it also prevented us from becoming moving targets when we moved across this desert, which was a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune."

Upon hearing this, Professor Chronos understood why the Harpy had attacked Coach Napoleon at that time. It wasn't just because she had approached him voluntarily and there was no protection around, but also because Coach Napoleon was different from himself and had never worn a "death gauntlet".

"Although I hate to say this, thankfully all the students are wearing 'death wristbands,' no way~"
-
The dividing line that has returned again—
"These guys are way too excited!" Edward complained, looking at the wild dueling monsters relentlessly chasing after him and Caesar. "Thank goodness we weren't wearing those 'death bands,' or we'd be dragged to our deaths by these endless hordes!" (End of Chapter)