Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"【Inherited Power】can transfer the full ATK of one of my monsters to another monster by releasing it," Hayato explained. "I've fully inherited the power of my predecessor, so put 【Gaia】 away! This is the final 【Inherited Power】!"

[Gaia] [ATK1800→4400]

"Indeed, what remarkable teamwork." Anasis smiled as he watched Gaia, having absorbed all of Daedalus's power, pierce Starfish Boy with a single spear thrust.

Anasis: 3250LP → 0

Chapter 82 I Swear in My Grandfather's Name

Congratulations to the duelist for winning the duel!

The final score for this duel was 400 dp.

No-damage victory: 200 dp

Use a magic card three times: 100 dp

Perform three fusion summons: 100 dp

Looking at the system's settlement interface, Hayato thought: "Thank goodness it wasn't a dark game, otherwise I would have lost money. 400 dp is not bad, plus the 100 dp I earned before, it's another expense from a dark game."

To Hayato's surprise, the newly added [Card Drop] mechanic appeared in this duel after the DP acquisition rules were updated, even though it hadn't been triggered in his previous duel with the Rabbit-Eared Great Evil God. The card he obtained was [Legendary City of Atlantis], a very versatile field card in Anasis's water-attribute deck.

Not only can it increase the attack and defense of Water-attribute monsters, but it can also lower their level by one to make them easier to summon. It can even be used in conjunction with [Sea] and [Sea Dragon Daedalus]. Unfortunately, Hayato hasn't been able to put together a proper aquatic deck yet, and even the "pure machine" deck he just used had a lot of filler cards in it.

As Hayato stepped down from the dueling platform, he saw Bakura excitedly approaching him, his cheeks flushed, smiling as he said, "Congratulations, Hayato-kun."

"No, why are you blushing?" Hayato wouldn't admit that he had stared at Bakura for a moment, so he turned his head, scratched the back of his head, and laughed a few times to brush it off. Turning his head, he saw Anasis walking down from the dueling platform opposite him, taking a pair of scissors from his secretary, Socrates, and bringing them toward his own neck.

"stop!"

Hayato's loud shout startled Anasis, who turned to look at him: "W-why are you yelling so loudly?"

"Uncle Anasis, don't do anything rash. It's just a lost duel." Hayato strode over, reached out and snatched the scissors from Anasis's hand. "Victory and defeat are common in war. Why do you want to take your own life?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to do anything?"

"You haven't decided what to do yet? I saw it all, you were already putting the scissors to your neck!"

Hayato brandished the "evidence" he had just seized—the pair of scissors. Upon seeing this, Anasis suddenly laughed.

"What's so funny?"

Seeing Hayato's serious expression, Anasis patted his round belly, still smiling, and said, "You little rascal, you were so clever during the duel, how come you forgot our bet before the duel in the blink of an eye?"

"Uh, our bet? Isn't it the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel]?" Hayato really couldn't recall having any bet that required Anasis to use a knife.

Anasis patted Hayato on the shoulder: "Is that golden disc called the 'Millennium Wisdom Wheel'? But it has nothing to do with that thing. Actually, my desire to get it before was purely out of personal interest."

“So, Boss, you already have quite a collection.” Socrates said somewhat speechlessly, “I can’t control your family affairs, but your office at the company is already filled with all kinds of collectibles. That’s right, when I deliver documents to you, there is often not even room to step.”

"Hahaha, is that so?" Anasis laughed dismissively, grabbing his beard with one hand. "My bet was that golden disc you call the 'Golden Rings,' so do you remember your bet, Hayato kid?"

"Uh, I do remember now, but I was just joking." Hayato then recalled that when deciding the stakes for the duel, he casually mentioned that Anasis should shave his beard. "You don't have to take it seriously, Uncle Anasis. I've noticed you take good care of your beard, haven't you?"

Most people who see Anasis for the first time will be drawn to his thick, shiny beard, which is also very neatly styled. Anasis clearly takes good care of his beard and values ​​it highly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated when Hayato proposed that the duel bet be his beard.

“Although I’m really reluctant, since I’ve staked my beard on it, I have to do as we agreed. Honesty is one of the essential qualities of a great merchant.” Anasis said, taking the scissors back from Hayato’s hand. With a few quick snips, he cut off more than half of his long beard.

Although there were still quite a few stubble remnants, Anasis wasn't a professional stylist after all; with only a pair of scissors, he had done his best to shave himself. And through the stubble, Hayato could see Anasis's chin hidden among the stubble, though its shape was somewhat subtle.

Well, they kind of look like a pair of buttocks?

Forgive Hayato, it's not that he's thinking dirty thoughts, it's just that Anasis's chin really does look like a pair of buttocks.

“Oh my God, you’re definitely thinking to yourself, ‘Why does this guy’s chin look like a pair of butts?’ I swear on my grandfather’s name, if you laugh at me for that, I’ll kick your ass hard with my boots.”

Despite Anasis's decisiveness in trimming his beard, he felt quite embarrassed after finishing the cut and noticing the subtle, amused expressions on Hayato and Bakura's faces as they looked at his chin. He even started speaking in a strange, translator's tone.

“Oh my God, stop with that weird translation accent. I’d much rather eat Aunt Susan’s toast next door, which’s harder than a boot,” Hayato complained. “Okay, now I get it, the reason you grew a beard is to cover your chin…”

Bakura tugged at Hayato's sleeve somewhat embarrassedly: "Hayato-kun, isn't it a bit inappropriate to joke about someone else's physical defects?"

“No, it’s nothing. I think it’s time for me to face my true self.” Anasis had a wry smile on his face, but he didn’t seem angry. “I used to be insecure about my chin, which is why I grew such a long beard, and I suffered a lot because of it.”

“When I eat, food crumbs often fall into my beard, and my beard needs to be cleaned and maintained frequently. In the summer, it’s also uncomfortable to cover my chin when I sweat…” Anasis started to open up and began to complain about the flaws of her beard. “Now that I’ve shaved it off, I no longer have to hide the appearance of my chin from others, and I no longer have to endure the troubles caused by my beard.”

Anasis seems quite happy.

But Socrates said something that made him spend 18... I mean, fall silent: "Um, Boss, actually the whole company knows what your chin looks like, because the photo of you hanging at the company entrance seems to be of you when you were young and didn't have a beard?"

"........."

"Then what was the point of me growing a beard for so long?!"

Chapter 83 Kobayashi Hayato and the Seven Horcruxes

Hayato and Bakura enjoyed a delicious lunch after Hayato freeloading off the lively Uncle Anasis, and then parted ways with them, taking with them the star chips Hayato had won.

Uncle Anasis's hard work all morning was wasted. Hopefully, he'll keep trying and not give up. Wandering around, Hayato searched for a suitable target while mentally reminiscing about the lunch he'd had.

"That one over there!"

Although it's earlier than the time before he transmigrated, the technology of this world is not lagging behind at all, and has even surpassed it in many ways. At least, many of the self-heating foods and military rations that Hayato ate in his previous life didn't taste as good as the ones he got from Anasis today.

"Hey, Kobayashi Hayato! Stop right there!"

The rice tasted just like it was freshly cooked, the beef was delicious, and the shrimp and asparagus were absolutely amazing, just like fresh ones.

"Don't ignore me!"

Lunch is sorted, but dinner isn't a good option, and I don't know how to hunt. Maybe I should collect ten stars as soon as possible and go find Pegasus.

"Kobayashi Hayato!"

Suddenly, a figure leaped out in front of Hayato, blocking his path and glaring angrily at him. If he weren't so short, he might have been quite imposing, perhaps?

"You're that... Dinosaur Ryuzaki, right?" Hayato took a half step back, creating some distance, before recognizing the person in front of him. It was none other than Dinosaur Ryuzaki, whom he had met briefly on the cruise ship that brought him to Duel Kingdom, the runner-up in the All-Japan Duel Kingdom Qualifying Tournament.

"It's me!" Seeing that Hayato recognized him, Ryuzaki, the dinosaur, put his hands on his hips and tilted his head proudly, humming, "You recognized me, huh? Well, there's nothing I can do about it. What can I do? I'm the runner-up in the national monster-fighting competition. Being too famous isn't a big deal..."

He shifted his gaze back to where Hayato had been, only to find that Hayato wasn't there at all, and he could hear Hayato talking to the white-haired man behind him not far away—

"Um, Hayato-kun? Wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate to leave Ryuzaki standing there?"

"Don't worry about it too much. He didn't say he wanted to challenge me to a duel, right? Look, even after we've all left, he's still standing there talking to himself. Maybe he's just bored and wants to chat with someone."

"Kobayashi Hayato!"

Ryuzaki darted in front of Hayato again, blocking the way once more, who had ignored him: "You, do you not take me, a national-level player, seriously at all?"

"To be honest? Yes, I didn't take you seriously. After all, I even defeated the champion, Haga, so what chance do you have? Runner-up, Mr. Ryuzaki." Hayato waved his hand impatiently. "I'm very busy right now, with plenty of things to do. Come on, go find someone to duel, okay?"

Hayato wasn't just fooling Ryuzaki; he genuinely remembered something important he needed to do. Of course, it wasn't about collecting all ten stars and then going to Pegasus for a meal, but rather about continuing to ponder the question Anaxis had interrupted him about—how to deal with the dark power within him?

Although Hayato now possesses the Millennium Wisdom Wheel, which has the power to interfere with the Millennium Items, what continues to affect him is not Pegasus's Millennium Eye itself, but rather the power left behind by the Millennium Eye within him. Just as Armament Haki and Seastone can nullify the abilities of Devil Fruit users, they cannot make the products of those abilities disappear.

Furthermore, the power of the Millennium Eye was left behind because Hayato actively tried to stop Pegasus, not because Pegasus intentionally left it behind. Even if Pegasus himself came to help Hayato, he probably would have difficulty accurately controlling this dark power.

However, Hayato did have some ideas about how to deal with this power. His inspiration came from a certain Socket Man who sacrificed himself to defeat the Lightning Scar Demon King and created seven Horcruxes for survival.

Hayato also planned to follow this person's example and gradually expel the dark power from his body. Although the presence of the Millennium Wisdom Wheel reduced the power's influence on Hayato, the presence of something that didn't belong to him within his body always felt strange.

"You're even more arrogant than me." Ryuzaki was quite angry at Hayato's disdain. "I'm not like Haga. If I were the one dueling you, I wouldn't be defeated so easily."

Hayato glanced at Ryuzaki: "So you're here to duel me? I don't mind taking the last few star tokens I'm missing from you."

"However, judging from your expression, you seem to have something else on your mind, otherwise you wouldn't have been holding back until now."

"Tch, you figured it out." Ryuzaki curled his lip and said, "Someone asked me to take you somewhere and then challenge you to a duel."

"You don't seem like the type to obediently be someone's lackey, do you? What did he give you in return?"

Ryuzaki heard Hayato's words and stammered, "Well, I wagered star chips, then lost the duel, and my opponent used this as an exchange."

Who knew I was actually worth so much? I could even get someone to trade me for star chips?

Hayato glanced at Bakura, then at Ryuzaki: "Well then, lead the way, Mr. Ryuzaki."

Ryuzaki led the way, guiding Hayato and Bakura through the forest they had just passed through, arriving at a clearing in the center of the forest. In the center of the clearing was a dueling platform that had been raised, and next to the platform stood a staff member of the International Illusion Society dressed in black.

Opposite the man in black stood a blonde woman with her back to Hayato. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, and Hayato could smell her delicate, lingering fragrance from a distance. Even without seeing her face, Hayato could recognize her from her back alone—

"Hey, Mai, I've brought that guy Hayato Kobayashi here. Our deal is done, right?" Ryuzaki shouted as he saw the man.

Mai turned around, revealing a duelist's glove she had just obtained from the men in black. However, this glove had an extra ring of stars for the inlaid chips compared to a regular glove: "You're really impatient, aren't you? No wonder you lost to me so badly, Ryuzaki-kun~"

"Shut up! I've brought the person here. The deal is over!" Ryuzaki shouted angrily, humiliated by Mai's mention of his previous crushing defeat, and then turned and walked back the way he came without looking back.

Just as he passed by Hayato, he whispered to him, "That woman is very good at cracking back row cards." Hayato turned his head slightly in surprise, watching Ryuzaki walk into the forest as if he hadn't done anything.

"What's wrong, Hayato-kun?" Bakura looked at Hayato with some confusion. Ryuzaki's voice was much softer than before, so Bakura hadn't heard what he had just said.

"It's nothing, I just think that Ryuzaki, even though he hangs out with that insect bastard all the time, is still a pretty good person," Hayato said casually, his gaze returning to Mai Kujaku who was walking towards him.

Chapter 84 The Backstage Shattering of the Peacock Dance

"It's nice to see you again, Hayato-kun." Mai Kujaku smiled as she looked at Bakura, who stood timidly beside Hayato. "You're not with Yugi and the others, but have made some new friends?"

"Hello, my name is Bakura, and I'm Hayato's classmate." Although Mai was an absolute beauty, her aura was as imposing as her figure. Bakura, who was rather timid, completed his self-introduction, but clearly failed to arouse Mai's interest.

Hayato glanced at the dueling gloves that Mai had just put on. The number of star chips embedded in them had already filled one circle, and even the second circle had one chip embedded in it. Obviously, she had collected ten star chips.

Logically speaking, Mai Peacock has already qualified to enter Pegasus's castle to participate in the final round of the Duel Kingdom tournament. She has already gathered all the necessary materials in less than a day, and her strength is quite good among all the duelists participating in this tournament.

However, it's puzzling that instead of immediately grabbing a spot, she changed into a new glove and went around the island looking for other duelists to duel.

“Ryuzaki just told me he lost two chips. With those two, you should have thirteen now, right, Mai? You’ve collected so many chips in just a few hours since the start of the event. You’re an amazing female duelist.”

“If you hadn’t given that guy named Jonouchi a chip, you should have eight by now, right?” Hayato said, looking at Mai, who also noticed the three empty spaces on Hayato’s glove. “So it’s really hard to understand you people, always talking about ‘bonds’ and ‘friendship’.”

"The so-called 'person' is just a stroke and a dot, and you can't go far alone. However, I think you went to the trouble of spending two chips to have that guy Ryuzaki bring me here, so you're not just bored and want to chat, are you?"

Hayato glanced at the still-open dueling arena in the distance. The virtual arena was called "Forest," which boosted the attack and defense of Insect, Beast, Plant, and Beast Warrior monsters. However, neither Mai's preferred Bird-Beast type nor Ryuzaki's Dinosaur type provided any additional bonuses from the "Forest" arena.

Peacock Dance also looked at the duel arena: "How about it? Are you satisfied with this arena? Let's have a duel. Just so you know, I mostly use wind-attribute bird-beast monsters, just like the warrior-type monsters you use, and neither of them have the arena's advantage, okay?"

"In pursuit of defeating your opponent in a fair environment?" Hayato didn't really need a duel venue. "Well, let's duel. You decide how many star chips to wager."

Just as Hayato and Mai stepped onto the dueling platform, the man in black who had previously delivered the new gloves to Mai did not leave. Instead, he watched Hayato and Mai as they were ready and reported into the microphone pinned to his chest.

"...Yes, it has already begun. Okay, I understand. Yes..."