Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Chapter 542 The Way Back to Reality

Although he turned into a card, Aleister was actually forced to enter the card to recuperate because he was overwhelmed by Hayato's Dark Game.

After all, he was a card spirit, not an ordinary person who would die if he lost a dark game. Becoming a card was just an extra vessel. Even now, after being defeated, Aleister could still communicate with Hayato through cards.

Hayato joked that he was just like Pokémon Omega, able to survive even when he was on the verge of death and was caught in a ball.

Although Alai wanted to attack Hayato as soon as he met him, he became unusually obedient after becoming a card. He answered all of Hayato's questions with all the information he knew, which allowed Hayato to find out where he was.

His initial guess was indeed correct. This world was indeed the "Elf World," the world where the card monsters resided. It was a world with a relatively close connection to the real world he had previously lived in, the "Human World." This could be seen from the fact that the card monsters residing on the vast majority of Duel Monster cards in the real world came from the Elf World.

Of course, not all card spirits exist in the spirit world. For example, Yugi's Dark Magician and Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon are card spirits native to the "human world," as are the yet-to-be-born Gemmon.

However, these things have little to do with Hayato. If Hayato had no hope of leaving the Spirit World and returning to the real world, he would need to learn about the world he was going to live in next. But Aleister told Hayato that he knew a place where it might be possible to get to the real world.

According to him, about a few days ago, he sensed a strong power fluctuation coming from the real world, which should not be connected, into the spirit world.

Although he had no interest in going to the real world, Aleister felt that the fluctuation might be related to "space" or something, and since his "summoning magic" was also related to "space," and the fluctuation seemed to have awakened something that he thought might be used as a sacrifice for his "summoning magic," so he was actually on his way there.

Comparing the timelines, Hayato guessed that the fluctuation might have originated from the "Astrop Particles" brought from the future to the past by the Red Dragon "Otmaia Tzolkin." For a Red Dragon capable of traversing time and space, simply spreading "Astrop Particles" from one world to another adjacent world didn't seem like an exaggeration.

According to Aleister's theory, although the probability is not 100%, the transmission of the "star particle" fluctuations still requires the existence of a channel. Based on the intensity of the fluctuations he had previously sensed, the channel would not be too small and would last for a certain period of time. If Hayato is lucky, he might be able to use that channel to return to the real world.

Just now, because of Anubis, Hayato was transported to the Spirit World, and the spatial fluctuations he created dispelled the "summoning magic" that Aleister had hastily performed as a sacrifice. This not only interrupted Aleister's journey but also successfully confused his perception of the previous fluctuations, causing him to lose his way.

Arai himself didn't have a great need for the fluctuations of the asteroid particles, or even that they were dispensable. He was just looking for a way to improve his "summoning magic." So, since he couldn't sense the fluctuations of the asteroid particles, he simply went to the nearest place and found Hayato.

Of course, he never expected to be turned into a card at first.

However, during the exchange of information, after that scumbag learned that Hayato actually possessed the Philosopher's Stone, the Ruby of Anubis as a finished product of the Philosopher's Stone, and the [Hyperfusion] which surpassed the miracle of the Philosopher's Stone, he shamelessly insisted on following Hayato around, saying that he definitely had a way to find the ultimate "summoning magic" he craved in Hayato.

Aleister was very knowledgeable about the Spirit World, as Hayato needed to know. However, when Hayato asked why he could remain conscious even though his "Summoning Magic" had progressed to the ultimate fusion level of [Summoning Beast - Light Body], Aleister evaded the question and refused to give Hayato a proper answer.

Hayato didn't force him, but casually skipped over the question.

Due to Hayato's transfer, Aleister is temporarily unable to continue tracking the fluctuations of the Yusei Particles. However, he also mentioned that some beings who were previously alerted by the Yusei Particles might have the ability to find those fluctuations.

However, it's hard to say whether that being has been awakened, or whether it is willing and able to help Hayato, but for now, this is the only path Hayato can choose.

However, before setting off, Hayato did check his system. After defeating Anubis and transferring to the Spirit World, Hayato had actually seen new system message notifications, but at the time he needed to deal with Alai, who was approaching him, so he only had time to open and check the messages now.

As soon as Hayato opened the system, he saw four dialog boxes pop up in front of him all at once.

[Dear Duelist, you have a new hunger pang... You have a new achievement reward to claim]

Achievement: [Just a Passing Duelist] Completed

[Condition: Open the Dimensional Gate (1/1)]

[Reward: 1000 DP, random pre-built Demon race]

[Achievement: [Fusion is not such an inconvenient thing] Completed]

[Condition: Abnormal fusion 1/1 time]

[Rewards: 1000 DP, Limited UR Exchange Ticket]

[Achievement: [Shoot Brother, already 1000%] Completed]

[Condition: Collect 1000/1000 cards]

[Reward: 1000 DP, UR card pack of the card type (Trap) with the most cards held]

The completion of the three achievements, along with the guaranteed 3000 DP income, allowed Hayato to recover some of his losses, having just paid 500 DP to launch a dark game against Alai, but only receiving 300 DP back at the settlement. He then began to check the other three additional income items.

The first card to be opened was the Trap UR card pack. It was this system statistic that made Hayato realize that although he had been collecting various cards since arriving in the world of Duel Monsters, the majority of his collection wasn't magic or monster cards, but trap cards. Even though he usually felt that his duels were quite cheerful.

It was somewhat unworthy of the original name of Duel Monsters, "Monsters and Magic," but Hayato wasn't one to care about such things, and casually opened the card pack.

The so-called UR card pack doesn't mean you can get a bunch of UR cards. Like a normal card pack, the UR card pack contains five cards, but one of them has a guaranteed UR card, and because it's a Trap Card pack, all the cards you get are Trap Cards.

Hayato opened his card pack and reluctantly tossed the first three [Explosive Armor] cards—which were just there to make up the numbers—into the system shop for immediate recycling. He was quite satisfied with the fourth card, [Torrent Burial], but when he saw the fifth card, Hayato couldn't help but curse: "Damn it, Yoshihiro's win or loss!"

"...By the way, is this how it's pronounced?"

Okay, actually, the card Hayato got is called "Battle of Wits," which is a Normal Trap Card. The story behind the card belongs to the famous Warrior-type deck "Six Samurai," and tells the story of the battle between "Great General Shien" and his brother "Six Samurai Shadow Shien." In the end, "Great General Shien" was replaced by the Shadow Warrior, and only his remnant soul remained on his armor.

However, the story behind the card isn't really that important. The most famous thing about the card "Battle of the Two" in Hayato's previous life wasn't even its powerful removal effect that targeted the player rather than monsters, but rather its name that tested a person's cultural level.

When many people draw this card and use it in a duel, in order not to expose their lack of literacy and inability to recognize rare characters, they will deliberately omit the two characters "颉颃" and say "Activate [Victory or Defeat]" directly. However, this only makes people feel that they are actually illiterate. They win the duel but get the identity of "illiterate".

Therefore, the card 【颉颃胜负】 (meaning "Eliminating Battle") has acquired the nickname "Illiterate Battle".

After putting away the [Battle of the Titans], Hayato used the UR exchange ticket as his second item. This wasn't the first time Hayato had used the exchange ticket series rewards. After using the illusory item, a dazzling array of cards appeared before Hayato's eyes.

However, the so-called "limited UR" is actually much more valuable than the exchange tickets Hayato used before, because ordinary UR exchange tickets can only be exchanged for "gacha cards" that can be obtained through gacha pulls. A large portion of the cards can only be obtained by spending DP points in the shop, which is very exploitative.

However, the "Limited UR" removed this restriction. Hayato immediately spotted cards like Red-Eyes Dragon Rider, Phoenix Man of Destruction, and even Hyper Fusion. These cards are extremely expensive in the shop and cannot be obtained through normal gacha pulls.

With this rare opportunity to remove a limited-time offer, Hayato was unlikely to use it to obtain some UR cards that could be drawn through ordinary card draws. His gaze quickly locked onto a field spell card with an extremely powerful effect.

The last card to be opened was the random Fiend deck. To be honest, Hayato has collected quite a few cards of various races, including Dragon, Beast, Warrior, Spellcaster, and Machine, but very few Fiend cards. However, his most frequently used card, Rainbow Kuriboh, is a Fiend.

With the mindset that he didn't care what he got since he was getting it for free, Hayato opened the pre-built card pack and was startled by several incredibly fierce names that appeared in front of him.

Am I about to unleash some world-destroying boss?

Even after a full day of travel guided by Aleister, Hayato's heart was still pounding with anxiety until Aleister reminded him that he could finally see his destination in the distance, which slightly distracted him.

Hayato dismounted from the warhorse of [Dark Knight Gaia], letting [Gaia] return to the card to rest. He took a few steps forward, stopped at the edge of the cliff, and gazed into the distance.

Despite being covered by dense vines and separated by a considerable distance, Hayato could spot a large bump in the distant jungle—a pimple on the face of the green-skinned giant.

Moreover, even without Aleister's guidance, as Hayato approached the "big bag," he could still feel an imposing aura constantly enveloping the surrounding forest, making it impossible to ignore.

It wasn't the sense of crisis that comes from a forest filled with the aura of death, but rather the feeling of being looked down upon and observed by some high and mighty being.

With that imposing presence, Hayato traversed the jungle, talking to Alai, who had regained much of his energy and was floating beside him in phantom form.

"What an amazing aura! I can sense that the real being has not yet awakened. What I feel now is just the unconscious breathing of a long-sleeping dragon in a half-asleep state. It's hard to imagine what kind of being it is."

"Calling him a god wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?"

Hayato did not deny Alai's opinion: "Although I had the experience of commanding spirits with the title of 'god' before I came to this time, and I have faced Kamui more than once, I have to admit that you are right. Such aura has truly reached the level of a god."

In the card box at Hayato's waist, the [Ra's Winged Dragon - Sphere] and the [Ra's Winged Dragon - Phoenix], which had been split off specifically to make a sound, let out two weak cries to express their dissatisfaction upon hearing Hayato's words.

“However, the closer we get, the more we realize that it was only slightly awakened by the fluctuations of the previous asteroid particles, rather than fully awakened. Do you really think I can find help here, Alai?”

“It’s Aleister, not Aleister, or you can call me Crowley, Master.” Aleister first seriously corrected Hayato’s words, then said somewhat casually, “Nothing beats a try, how will we know if we have a chance if we don’t come here and try our luck?”

"That's true, but we still need to find it as soon as possible before the passage opened by the asteroid particles disappears." Hayato said, but his pace slowed down as he walked through the jungle. After stepping over the last clump of weeds, he arrived at a clearing in the forest not far from the "big bag".

As Hayato stopped, he saw several figures emerge from various directions ahead, forming a semi-circle around him using the bushes behind him as a wall.

A green-skinned lizard warrior who stands upright and wears metal arm armor;

The female warrior, whose armor was tattered and who looked more like a wanderer than a soldier, was a warrior.

A bare-chested warrior with wings on his back and wearing a helmet;

And there was also the seemingly leader of the four who were blocking the way, a guy who had completely covered his body with a cloak.

"It seems that we won't be able to reach our destination so easily."

Chapter 543 The Demon Lizard Yihao is Right

"It seems we won't reach our destination so easily." Hayato raised his Duel Disk on his wrist, looking at the four "people" blocking his way, and said warily.

Although the image on the flat card has become a three-dimensional reality, Hayato easily identified the figures of three of the four "people" blocking his way.

The green lizard wearing metal armor is the advanced form of the Demon Lizard Yihao, which was modified by the Mediocre Demon to gain power;

The female warrior dressed as a wanderer is a subordinate of the "Captain of the Charge" under the command of "Undefeated General - Fried," and is known as the "Wilderness Warrior."

The warrior with wings on his back and wearing a green helmet, judging from the spear-like weapon in his hand, is one of the many disguises of the "Zera Warriors" among the many Duel Monsters, but none of them have a good ending. His disguise is "Zeradias the Messenger of the Sky".

As for the last guy who concealed his face and figure with a black robe, Hayato couldn't guess who it was, since he didn't have X-ray vision or anything like that.

Although the three "people" recognized by Hayato were a reptile, a warrior, and an angel, they all shared a common characteristic: they had all had experiences in "space and time" to varying degrees.

[Demon Lizard Yihao] was transported to another world due to [Dimensional Confinement]. After being modified, he returned to his original world in a berserk state. Then, with the help of his companions, he awakened again, but was pulled into another dimension ([Dimensional Barrier]).

【Wilderness Warrior】was also accidentally taken to another world and became 【Otherworld Warrior】. Later, she returned to her original world with her companions from the other world. In the battle against the "pervert" 【Warrior - Dai Grefa】 who had been harassing her, she awakened the ability to actively open the 【Dimensional Wall】.

As for "The Warrior of Jera", he has become the ritual monster of the demon race "Jera", the superior monster "Great Demon King-Jera", and even after becoming "Archangel-Jerat", he still inevitably fell and became "Fallen Angel-Jerat". He even entered the "Undead World" and became an undead zombie "Giant Ghoul-Demon Jera". Moreover, these are not parallel worlds, but several reincarnations he experienced.

And it was precisely this group of guys who were blocking his way at that moment.

Hayato, on high alert, remained silent. It was the man in black robes from the group of four opposite him who spoke first: "You possess an aura that doesn't belong to this world; you are an unfamiliar being."

"You can't go through here to return to our original world." [Wilderness Warrior] drew her longsword and pointed it at Hayato.

“Giga, Gagagigo.” The tall [Gigagigo] spoke in a language that was difficult to understand.

Meanwhile, [Sky Messenger Gerardias] blocked Hayato's path with a long spear in hand: "[Divergent Lizard Yoshihiro] is right."

"Although I didn't sense any malice from you towards the beings ahead, just as [Divergent Lizard - Demon Lizard Yihao] said, we must ensure 'they' awaken safely, and for that, we must stop any suspicious beings at all costs, regardless of your purpose."

"Leave here, stranger, or the claws of [Divergent Lizard Yihao] will not spare you."

Upon hearing this, the female warrior of the wilderness and the guy in the black robe turned to look at the monstrous lizard, seemingly surprised that it could express so much meaning in just a few words, even though it seemed to be mentally unstable and couldn't speak, only making strange noises.

However, [Qilisi·Demon Lizard Yihao] also looked puzzled, wondering if he had really said that much.

Hayato didn't care and calmly said, "My name is Kobayashi Hayato, I am 18 years old, I live in the villa area of ​​Domino City, and I am a senior in Domino City High School. Every day I go to Kameji Card Shop to bring smiles to my friends and those who come to challenge me with duels. I play at least ten cards a day, struggling from full health until midnight before I can go to sleep. Kaiba always says that I struggle for so long, how come I'm still alive?"

"I'm here to explain my daily life to you. Although it may sound dull and uninteresting, this peaceful routine is a series of miracles for me. Although I voluntarily let go before, if it's to return to this routine, I will defeat whatever stands in my way!"

With that, Hayato raised the Duel Disk and suddenly pulled out a card.

Just as Hayato was about to materialize the drawn card monster using the power of the Millennium Wisdom Wheel, a wave suddenly emanated from the "big bag" not far away, disrupting the power of the Millennium Wisdom Wheel. At the same time, the four "people" blocking the way, who were trying to resist because of Hayato's actions, suddenly lost their legs and almost fell to the ground.

Along with this, the Rainbow Kuriboh on Hayato's shoulder, the Summoner Aleister floating beside Hayato, and the Dark Knight Gaia hidden in the grass behind Hayato as a backup plan to surprise any attackers were all bounced back into the cards.

At the same time, a faint but undeniable dragon's roar resounded:

"Woohoo woohoo woohoo~~~!!!"

"That voice... is it that person?" [Wilderness Warrior] adjusted her cowboy hat, which was about to slip off her head, and glanced back at the building still obscured by vines, her eyes hardening. "You say you'd defeat everything in your way to return to the past? Do you think you're the only one like that? I also have places I want to go back to and annoying guys I want to kill!"

Recalling that perverted man, the [Wilderness Warrior] stepped forward, a duel disk similar to Hayato's appearing on her arm: "I'll be your opponent!"

"Hmph, impressive determination, truly excellent resolve." The man shrouded in black robes also extended his arm from within the robes. "Then I'll help you too."

“Gigago!” “【Divergent Lizard·Demon Lizard Righteousness】is right!”