Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Just as the game was having an internal dialogue with "another game" residing in the Millennium Puzzle, he heard the sound of the rooftop door being pushed open from behind him: "Watching the sunset alone on the rooftop? What an artistic choice."

The familiar voice made Yugi turn around. Seeing the figure with bandages wrapped around his head, Yugi called out his name with concern, "Hayato-kun, your body..."

"Ah, don't worry too much. The doctor said I'm perfectly healthy, I can eat at least thirteen small bread rolls. The bandage on my head is from when I accidentally bumped into a door frame when I was discharged. Seriously, why are hospital door frames so low?" With a relaxed smile on his face, Hayato walked to the edge of the game with his hands in his pockets, looking at the scenery on the rooftop and feeling the evening breeze.

"So, how about going to Duel Kingdom?"

Without hesitation, Yugi replied, "Yes, I'm going to Pegasus to retrieve Chicken Sauce's soul, and I'm also going to avenge you, Hayato."

"I can't really hold Pegasus responsible for my grudge, since I deliberately caused the accident. But what happened to Sugoroku is unforgivable." Hayato pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Yugi. He slapped it open and climbed back onto [Disruptive Yellow]'s shoulder. "Let's go together then."

"Huh?" Yugi took the envelope, not quite understanding Hayato's meaning.

"Actually, Pegasus invited me a month ago to Duel Kingdom, both as a participant and as his guest. Open that and take a look."

When the game player opened the envelope, they found several cards inside, each with a different illustration and seemingly a different purpose.

"An invitation to the kingdom, as proof that you are invited to the 'Duel Kingdom,' and a few other cards that can be considered as the rules of the Duel Kingdom." Hayato pulled out a stack of cards from his person, similar to the cards in Yugi's hand, except that a few of them seemed to be slightly different in appearance.

"'The ticket to the kingdom' is the proof of going to the Duel Kingdom, 'Left Hand' and 'Right Hand' are the final rewards, and 'Duelist's Gloves' are proof of a duelist's qualification." Unlike Yugi's last card, 'Kingdom', Hayato's last card is 'Duel Monster'. "This can be considered a ticket. Although I was also invited by Pegasus, mine seems to be first class."

“Other duelists can only board the ship alone, but I can bring more than one person.” Smiling, Yugi and Hayato turned around and looked at the group that had also come to the rooftop, “such as Jonouchi, Kyoko, and Honda.”

"Everyone, are you going to Duel Kingdom together?"

"Of course! After all, you're such a coward, what if you get bullied there?" Kyoko said, hands on her hips, with a straight face.

Honda crossed his arms and said, "After all, aren't we friends? Of course we should stand together in times like these."

"That's Duel Kingdom, you know. I hate Pegasus, but I can't miss this rare grand event in the world of Duel Monsters." Jonouchi patted his chest. "Besides, I also need to avenge Hayato and Chicken."

However, no sooner had Jonouchi finished speaking than Honda mercilessly contradicted him:

"What revenge? You're clearly just after the prize money, just like you were in the National Monster Duel Tournament last time." Honda said, patting Jonouchi on the shoulder. "And with your skills, don't let Hayato and Yugi avenge you."

"Honda, you bastard!"

The two's bickering livened up the previously lonely atmosphere of Yugi being alone on the rooftop. The others watched Honda and Jonouchi wrestling and laughed heartily. Yugi looked at his companions and silently vowed:

Just wait for me, I will definitely take back Chicken's soul, Pegasus!

Chapter 53 A Woman Like the Wind

One week later, at 9 p.m., at the Domino City Pier.

The group gathered at Hayato's house in advance. They arrived at the dock half an hour early, only to find that a large number of people had already gathered there.

"There must be over a hundred people here, right? There are a lot of people invited by Pegasus to the Duel Kingdom." Traveling light with only one deck, Jonouchi looked at the huge crowd at the dock and said angrily, "They invited so many people but didn't include Jonouchi-sama. That Pegasus guy is really despicable."

"And these duelists aren't all of them, just duelists from one region of Japan. The number of duelists gathered by Duel Monsters probably exceeds a thousand," Hayato said, looking around. But seeing that Jonouchi had nothing on him, he paused, slightly surprised. "Jonouchi, didn't you bring any belongings?"

"Huh? Why are we carrying bags? Aren't we going to participate in the dueling tournament?" Jonouchi noticed that Yugi, Kyoko, and Honda were all carrying bulging backpacks, while only Hayato was carrying nothing. "Besides, Hayato, you didn't bring anything either."

"Although it's a monster dueling tournament, don't forget, the competition venue is on a private island. Think, in Think City, we've arrived on an island, and there are so many participants. Do you think Pegasus will be so kind as to take care of every single one of them?"

"More likely, we'll have to survive in the wilderness and then fight each other as duelists we encounter?"

Upon hearing Hayato's words, Jonouchi panicked: "What do we do now?"

"I really can't do anything with you, Jonouchi. I'll share some of my food with you when the time comes." Honda sighed helplessly as he looked at Jonouchi, who was imagining his future of starvation and looked utterly hopeless. "In return, you'd better make some achievements this time."

"Of course, thanks, Honda." Upon hearing Honda's words, Jonouchi laughed heartlessly again and patted Honda on the shoulder.

"Please, I'm carrying a lot of food and water, it's very heavy. If you lift another finger, you can carry it for me."

No way!

Just then, a group of staff dressed in black appeared on the dock. The leader stood on a high platform, holding a megaphone and shouting, "Chosen duelists! Welcome to the competition specially organized by the International Illusion Society!"

In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to it.

"Those of you present are elites selected through our special investigations after battling monsters. The opportunity is equal for everyone. Now, the light of glory shines above your heads," a black-clad man with an unremarkable hairstyle who clearly didn't know how to play cards raised his hand to the side. A boarding ramp was lowered from a luxury cruise ship docked at the pier. "Alright, duelists, let's cross the sea, fight for honor, and set sail together for the kingdom!"

Although he seemed like just an ordinary nobody, the man in black's speech was quite inspiring. Many duelists present were excited by his words, and Jonouchi couldn't wait to have a match with these duelists right then and there. Even Yugi was full of anticipation for "Duel Kingdom".

Hayato had no right to judge others, because even he himself couldn't help but feel excited when he thought about becoming a duelist for Sai Q—the King of Duels.

After the boarding began, the crowd gathered at the dock spontaneously formed a long queue, orderly showing their Star Chips to the men in black and boarding the ship after registration. Although some men in black tried to drive Honda and his companions away while they were waiting because they didn't have Star Chips, their attitude reversed and became extremely respectful after Hayato showed them the "Duel Monster" card.

Once aboard the cruise ship, Jonouchi leaned on the railing, gazing at the distant seascape: "I've seen it many times on the way to Hayato's house, but seeing it from the cruise ship gives me a completely different feeling. Pegasus is quite something, isn't he?"

"After all, thanks to Duel Monsters, the International Mirage Society has accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years." Hayato played with the "Duel Monsters" card. "And I remember there's a saying, 'Status determines mindset.' The same scenery is poetic and picturesque to the rich, but the poor think about how nice the mushrooms are and how they're growing so well that they can pick some to make soup."

Just as the group was chatting, a charming laugh came from not far away: "What an interesting analogy, little brother! But it's best not to eat wild mushrooms, though~"

Hayato turned his head and saw a long, golden hair. The person speaking was a tall woman in a sexy purple outfit and high-heeled boots. A gentle breeze carried with it a light, pleasant perfume scent.

"Wow, so beautiful~" Jonouchi and Honda's eyes widened instantly, staring intently at the blonde woman, their gazes repeatedly lingering on her long, slender, fair legs, barely concealed by her short skirt, and her strikingly prominent breasts. Even Yugi's face flushed slightly, which annoyed and jealously made Kyoko compare herself to the blonde woman, before she suddenly felt dejected.

"And who is this lady?" Hayato looked at the blonde woman who approached them. Although he was equally impressed, he preferred long, straight black hair, so he only glanced at her with admiration. Even though he recognized her, he still asked.

"My name is Mai, and like you, I'm an invited duelist," Mai replied to Hayato. Seeing that Hayato's eyes didn't have the lecherous look she often saw in men's eyes, Mai felt somewhat pleased, but she still looked at her main target for this conversation—Yugi. "You must be Yugi Muto, right? I really didn't expect to meet such a prominent figure in the Duel Monsters world on the same ship."

"A controversial figure?" Kyoko tilted her head, unable to connect those four words with the game.

"Having defeated Kaiba, who simultaneously wielded three of the strongest white dragons, Yugi is incredibly famous in the Duel Monsters world. Strictly speaking, his fame is almost on par with Pegasus's, because among all the duelists who have appeared so far, he has the strongest dueling ability," Hayato explained. "In other words, he's a favorite to win the championship, so it's normal for people to recognize him, right?"

Chapter 54 What exactly does VIP treatment mean? (Leans back tactically)

"That's how it is, but what I didn't expect was that Yugi Muto is such a cute kid?" Ignoring Honda and Jonouchi's lecherous expressions, Mai Kujaku moved closer to Yugi, examining him closely in his normal state, and even pinched his cheek.

Having never been so close to a girl before, Yugi blushed deeply with embarrassment: "I-I really am Yugi Muto..."

"Sigh~ I'd heard that Yugi Muto was quite decisive and domineering during duels, but it seems the rumors aren't always true." Amused by Yugi's shy expression, Mai finally released her grip under Kyoko's persistent, prickling attention, taking a step back. "However, even children shouldn't be underestimated in the dueling arena. I really look forward to seeing you again in Duel Kingdom, everyone~"

As she spoke, the Peacock Dance arrived and departed just as quickly as she had come, leaving behind only a lingering perfume scent that captivated Honda and Jonouchi, but it was soon dispersed by the sea breeze.

As Jonouchi watched the figure of Mai Kujaku disappear completely into the crowd, muttering to himself, "What a nice woman," and "I really want to duel with her," Kyoko complained somewhat irritably, "What's wrong with that woman? So frivolous! She'll never find a boyfriend!"

"Yeah, right. It's precisely because women are mature that they're popular. Even though they're not in my favor," Hayato said casually. But noticing the strange look in Kyoko's eyes, he quickly added, "Kyoko, you'll still grow bigger, eat more papaya, um, good luck~"

By this time, the duelists had mostly completed their registration, and the cruise ship bound for the Duel Kingdom officially set sail. The deck was only a temporary accommodation and not very safe, so the black-clad staff opened the doors leading into the cabins after the cruise ship departed, guiding everyone inside.

However, after following the main group into the cabin, Yugi and the others found themselves not in comfortable beds in private rooms, but in an empty open space. According to the men in black, this was a resting place prepared for the duelists.

"This is supposed to be a luxury cruise ship, so why are there only dormitory-style sleeping quarters?!" Jonouchi was about to argue with the man in black on the spot. Hayato tried to stop him, but he couldn't stop this brute at all. "So many people and so few seats, are we here to duel or to suffer?!"

“That’s right!” Jonouchi had barely finished speaking when he saw Mai, whom he had met before, emerge from the crowd with a disgruntled expression and stand beside him, arguing with the man in black. “A lady like me doesn’t even have a place to shower, and I have to sleep with a bunch of stinky men? Don’t be ridiculous!”

"This was all arranged by Mr. Bekas." The man in black remained calm and composed despite the two noisy blonds.

"What's all this noise about?" A voice that sounded a lot like a streaker came from behind. A short boy wearing a hat and carrying a backpack walked into the cabin with an arrogant look on his face. He picked at his ear, seemingly annoyed by Jonouchi and Mai's protests. "It's really outrageous how noisy this is."

Another person stepped out from behind him, with a greenish mushroom haircut and yellow-rimmed glasses. His all-green attire was really hard to appreciate: "These small fry won't have a chance to make a fuss once the competition starts. This is their last time to have a blast."

The two are about the same height and have almost the same arrogant personality, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

"Those are the insect moth and the dinosaur Ryuzaki? As expected, the champion and runner-up of the selection competition were also invited." Mai looked at the two, a few thoughts forming in her mind, and quietly retreated back into the crowd.

The green-clad triangular arrow—I mean, the insect moth—squinted at the crowd in the cabin, seemingly lost in thought. But the moment it saw Yugi, its eyes widened: "Huh? Yugi Muto?! You're Yugi Muto, right!"

Yugi stood next to Hayato, never expecting that he, who was usually just a nobody at school, would be recognized again and again today: "Ah, hello, I'm Yugi Muto, my friends call me Yugi."

"What a coincidence, Yugi. I never expected to see you in a place like this." Upon hearing Yugi reveal his identity, Ryuzaki, the Dinosaur, maintained his arrogant attitude, while Yugi, the Insect Moth, smiled and approached Yugi, greeting him, "I've heard so much about you! Defeating Seto Kaiba, I suppose your [Exodia] is the strongest among all the duelists participating in this tournament, right?"

"Hehehe, I was just lucky to beat Kaiba-kun." Yugi had never received such praise before, and smiled a little embarrassedly. "Oh right, I watched your match against Ryuzaki the Dinosaur, congratulations on becoming the Japanese national champion."

"Not at all~" Yu Moth smiled and narrowed her eyes.

"Hmph, it's because I went easy on you and showed mercy." Ryuzaki, who was standing next to him, said somewhat unhappily when he heard the game bring up that match again.

Yuga wasn't angry. Instead, she said to the game in a friendly manner, "However, I heard that this competition is different from previous ones. It seems that many new rules have been added, so we can't apply the experience that worked in previous competitions anymore. We are all starting from the same point."

"Whatever the rules are, whatever difficulties we encounter, my Duel Monster and I will crush them all!" Jonouchi said confidently, seemingly unconcerned about the "new rules" that Haga mentioned, as if the title of Duel King was already his for the taking.

Ryuzaki glanced at Jonouchi: "You're surprisingly to my liking, aren't you?"

“However, Yuga is wrong about one thing. We are not on the same starting line.” As he spoke, Ryuzaki took out a special “Kingdom” card with a golden sheen on its surface. “As players in the last competition, we were able to enjoy the special services of a luxury cruise ship, while you can only squeeze into this dormitory with everyone else, hahahaha.”

He had just started to laugh when a man in black stepped out from behind him. Upon seeing Hayato, the man jogged over, bowed, and said, "I apologize for keeping you waiting, Mr. Hayato Kobayashi. As Mr. Pegasus's specially invited guest, you and your friend can enjoy our top-notch VIP service."

"VIP service? What's that?" Ryuzaki didn't quite understand what he was talking about. "I've only heard that athletes get to enjoy private rooms. Am I a VIP too?"

"You are Mr. Ryuzaki, right? You and Mr. Haga are both on the most basic room service. We do not offer VIP service to the public. Only the most distinguished guests of the International Illusion Company can enjoy it, namely Mr. Hayato."

Seeing Ryuzaki's face immediately slapped in the face, Hayato chuckled: "The cruise ship is so big, there are plenty of private rooms. Surely no one actually thinks having a private room makes them a VIP, right? No way, no way?"

"Hmph!" Unable to stand Hayato's sarcastic tone, Ryuzaki stormed out with a dark expression, not even waiting for Yugi, who was still trying to get close to Yugi. Meanwhile, a blonde woman in the crowd noticed Ryuzaki's departure and quietly followed him.

Chapter 55 How strong is this card? Its attack power is 0.

Not long after Ryuzaki stormed off, Haga, feeling she had gotten close enough to Yugi, left with a smile, pretending to say that if anyone was interested in the "new rules," they could come find her.

Just as Jonouchi, who was really looking forward to the luxurious "VIP suite," was about to leave the cabin with the staff in black, Hayato stopped him.

"What's wrong, Hayato?"

"Have you noticed something about the cabins here?" Hayato didn't give a direct reason, but instead pointed to the duelists behind them who had already found their places in the cabins.

Jonouchi looked around the cabin and asked in confusion, "What are you looking for? I only see a lot of people chatting together. That dinosaur guy isn't wrong, this place really isn't suitable for resting. Let's hurry up and leave."

Unlike Jonouchi, Yugi noticed: "I see. In that case, Jonouchi, perhaps we can stay here a little longer. Look over there."

Looking in the direction the game indicated, Jonouchi noticed that the duelists who were chatting together were holding their respective decks, and they would occasionally draw cards from their decks to exchange with each other.

"They're exchanging cards?" Although Jonouchi was still slow to react and didn't see the difference, Honda and Kyoko had already figured it out. "I see. This is a large dormitory, not very convenient for resting, but it has also become a very convenient place to exchange cards."

“That’s right. Although exchanging cards before a match might make people think you lack confidence in your deck, strengthening your deck is the real goal.” Hayato said, taking out a deck as he spoke. “I also have quite a few cards I want to exchange. Maybe I can find some powerful cards.”

This isn't just something Hayato made up. In the original timeline, Jonouchi actually managed to swap out four cards from the discarded cards in his Gambling Warrior deck: [Chained Darts], [Baby Dragon], [Flying Dragon Flame], and [Sword in Left Hand, Shield in Right Hand], all of which were quite useful.

The duelists gathered here are stronger than the amateurs, but they are more focused on simply pursuing powerful monsters. Many of them are clueless and not much different from those in the future Duel Academy who throw away the [Requiem Monster] with 0 attack power as a useless card.

Before Hayato could even exchange his cards, Jonouchi, who was standing nearby, followed suit and pulled out his deck. He was even faster than Hayato as he approached the duelists and started chatting to exchange cards.

"Hayato-kun, you actually have a spare deck?" Yugi looked at the thick stack of cards in Hayato's hand with some surprise.

"No, they're just some discarded cards, and 'a' of them were obtained through gambling." Looking at the [TM-1 Rocket Spider] card at the very top of his deck, which he had looted from the escaped convict Lucky, Hayato recalled the system's reply and felt slightly annoyed.

The system's [Shop] offers Hayato a recycling function, but it only accepts R-rank and above cards, leaving him with a thick stack of low-quality N-rank cards. Although many of these N-rank cards are quite powerful under the current rules, Hayato knew about his plans from Pegasus beforehand and intended to exchange them as soon as possible to avoid being stuck with them.

Although he could give the cards to Honda to improve his rarely used deck, Honda was reluctant to accept them because he felt that Hayato's cards were "so rare and powerful that he felt embarrassed to accept them."