Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

I, Ed Phoenix, said that the "pure [D·hero]" deck I play is pure [D·hero], so adding a little [V·hero] is reasonable, and including two [Phantom Knights] cards is even more normal.

—Okay, actually it's not like that. Just like with [Called One of Annihilation], the [Phantom Death Gun] that Edward saved for [D·hero Twilight] at the last moment was also a card he opened from the Freshman Enrollment Limited Card Pack.

Although Edward had never used or even heard of cards with the "Phantom Knights" title, it didn't stop him from adding "Phantom Death Gun" to his deck because of its second effect. After all, whether it was "D·hero" or "V·hero," the monsters in his deck were almost all DARK attribute, with only a few cards like "E·hero Sky Knight" and "Swamp Demon King" not being DARK attribute.

Such a setup is actually easy for someone with relevant intelligence to target, but luckily, he won again!

Ignoring his recent string of defeats in duels, Edward smiled with satisfaction at finally achieving a duel victory.

With one hand on the shore, Kajiki Ryota swam back to shore, soaking wet, and said thankfully, "Luckily, all my cards have a special coating for moisture protection, otherwise they would have been ruined."

"You're really putting on a good attack, Edward."

"Ah, Mr. Kajiki." Seeing Kajiki Ryota climb onto land, Edward suddenly remembered that during the duel just now, he was so engrossed in it that he had accidentally let [D·hero Twilight Portman] exert too much force and knocked Kajiki Ryota off the floating platform. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

"This level of skill can't hurt me. Don't underestimate the men of the sea." Kajiki Ryota shook the water off his hair. "Although I don't know anything like Armament Haki, I do train my body. To paraphrase your teacher, Kobayashi Hayato, I can even withstand three punches from Ushio—although I don't know who that Ushio guy is, but I've heard he's even better than Jonouchi."

Because Kajiki Ryota's body was covered in seawater, simply shaking it off wouldn't be enough. A layer of salt crystals would form on his body. Therefore, Kajiki Ryota went into the woods to retrieve two backpacks. He took out a bottle of water from one of them, which seemed to have been drawn from a stream, and poured it on his body to wash off the seawater. Then he took out a towel to dry himself off again and removed the cards and duel disk to begin maintenance.

Meanwhile, the sharp-eyed Edward noticed that Kajiki Ryota had taken out more than one backpack; the other one seemed to be his own bag, and it was noticeably larger, as if it was stuffed full of things.

“Here you are, your backpack. A bet's a bet. If you beat me, you can continue your journey.” Kajiki Ryota said to Edward, holding the backpack. “So, did you do your best in this duel?”

“Yes, I feel I have done my best in my duel with you, Mr. Kajiki. Moreover, I have learned a lot from our duel.” Edward glanced at Kajiki Ryota’s cards spread out on the grass and said, “I feel that I am closer to the answer to the ‘fate’ that I want to know.”

Edward didn't ask whether Kajiki Ryota had done his best, because after seeing the card on the ground, he knew that Kajiki Ryota probably hadn't used his full strength against his junior at all. After all, he had already made it clear from the beginning that this duel was just a test of his new card.

"Is that so? It's good that you've resolved your inner conflict." Kajiki Ryota smiled, watching Edward take the backpack. He then waved his hand and said, "I've also gained some understanding of my new card. Perhaps I can give Ryuzaki and the others a surprise in this year's professional tournaments. But your journey has only just begun, hasn't it?"

"Alright, alright, if you don't want to fall too far behind the others, hurry up and get back on the track. I don't want to keep you here, or have another person drain my resources."

Seeing Kajiki Ryota bowing his head to carefully examine the cards and duel disk, Edward bowed in thanks, then bid him farewell and returned to the forest, heading towards what was probably the center of the island, trying to catch up with the others.

After Edward disappeared into the woods, Kajiki Ryota's phone rang. He put down the maintenance card and glanced at the caller ID, raised an eyebrow, and answered the phone: "That kid just left, and you're already calling?"

"Because they are my important students. Although they have just enrolled, every student is a treasure of the Duel Academy. As the principal, I must take extra care of them." Hayato's voice came through the phone. "Just like I'm very curious about what your last card was."

"Wow, why are you like President Kaiba, spying on other people's deck data?" Kajiki Yuta complained unhappily. "You didn't just stare at the duel data until it was over before calling, did you?"

"Who knows~" Hayato said with a smile, "So tell me, what was your last card? [Phantom Dragon's Vortex]?"

"No, although I told that kid I was using him to test my new cards, I only used a portion of the new cards you gave me. I didn't put any of the [Phantom Dragon] cards into my deck. After all, even though it's an advanced version of [Spiral Dragon], I've never heard of 'Phantom Dragon' before, and I haven't prepared any support cards to integrate it into my 'Ocean' deck."

Kajiki Ryota paused for a moment, then continued, "My current deck is mainly composed of fish, aquatic, and sea dragons, which are relatively more familiar and mature. However, the only card that [Phantom Dragon] is related to is water."

“Indeed, after all, the Phantom Dragon race is a brand new race that was only completed in the last two months. If I hadn’t used the reward card I got when I helped the Labyrinth Brothers go to ‘Style: Invincible East’ as a template, this new race wouldn’t even have been born.” Hayato’s voice was somewhat matter-of-fact. “In other words, your card can be considered the newest and most powerful card from the International Illusion Society, Kajiki.”

So what exactly is your hand?

"Do you really like digging so deep? It's [DD Raven]." Hearing Hayato's persistent questioning, Kajiki Ryota finally picked up the card he hadn't finished maintaining, the last card in his hand before Edward wiped out his Life Points. "If I use this card to banish [Phantom Death Gun] from that 'Destiny Kid's' graveyard a step ahead, he might lose, right? But if I get serious with a kid that's so much younger than me, won't Ryuzaki and the others laugh me to death?"

"That kid's momentum is already there, so let's just let him win this one. I don't need such an unimportant victory or defeat."

After a pause, Kajiki Ryota asked with some curiosity, "Speaking of which, I can understand the 'DD' in the name [DD Crow], it seems to mean 'other dimension'? But I remember that big bald guy who looked like an extra when we came to the island gave you a set of cards called something like 'DDD'?"

"I've been thinking about this for a long time. What does it mean? Can you tell me?"

"'DDD' stands for 'Different-Dimension-Demon,' a dimensional demon, a kingly power capable of conquering even other dimensions." Hayato suddenly lowered his voice on the other end of the phone, then said smugly, "Nice! Finally found a chance to say that line!"

"An extradimensional demon? Sounds pretty powerful?"

“You're wrong about three things,” Hayato replied to Kajiki Ryota's words. “First of all, that bald guy doesn't just look like an extra; he's actually my wife's sworn brother, a much more reliable brother-in-law than that other brother-in-law who looks like a three-year-old.”

"Secondly, it wasn't him giving it to me; rather, I gave it to him to help me test the performance of a portion of the card. What you see is that after the testing, because he wasn't very good at using it, he returned the card to me."

"There's a third point. It's not just that it looks powerful, it really is powerful—provided that the card set is complete. But even with only the basic fusion power right now, it's more than enough to deal with some ordinary weaklings."

"But are there any ordinary people among the students you send to the island?" Kajiki Ryota complained. "To be honest, if I'm a little careless, I might not be able to beat that Edward kid. How many students of that level are there in your school? Like that 'Kaiser' who recently broke into the professional dueling world?"

“There are at least three, students as strong as the Caesar you know who just graduated. However, there are also some good-for-nothings among them. Although I personally look down on their potential future behavior, as a teacher, I have a responsibility to correct them in advance and help them grow.” Hayato paused, then asked, “Speaking of which, did you put that card in Edward’s bag?”

"It's in, it's in! Do you think I'm that careless?"

"It's hard to say. Jonouchi said that once when you went out to play, you were so busy swimming in the sea that you lost your hotel room key on the beach, and Ryuzaki had to search for it with you for a long time."

"That was an accident! It happened inside Jonouchi too!"

"So he went to the Peacock Dance room and then the two of them got married."

--------The dividing line where Jonouchi gets her ear pulled by Mai Koujaku while playing video games--------

Meanwhile, as Edward, carrying Kajiki Ryota's "gift," embarked on his journey back to the center of the island, another person—or rather, two people—also encountered the island's "safety officer."

"Yo, Sho!" Judai greeted Marufuji Sho excitedly upon seeing him, "What are you doing here?"

"Hahaha, I didn't expect you to be faster than me. I thought you had opened your parachute so early and it would take you a long time to land, so I started running as soon as I landed. I didn't expect you to be faster." Judai said, nodding to himself. "Yeah, after all, there's a three-minute difference. I wonder how fast that junior named Edward is."

"Um, big brother..." Marufuji Sho interrupted Jaden hesitantly, saying somewhat weakly, "Although I'm not quite sure where I am right now, I was actually attacked by a materialized Duel Monster just now, and I was rescued by the people Hayato-sensei arranged on the island."

"He said that before I was defeated, I, who had been rescued, would not be able to go to the center of the island again, and would be temporarily taken to the supply station where he was staying."

Scratching his head, Marufuji Sho finally said, "So, big brother, it seems you're heading in the opposite direction from the center of the island?"

"Huh?!??!" Judai pointed at his nose and said incredulously, "Sho, you mean I got lost on the island?! That's impossible, I don't remember having a 'directionally challenged' persona that seems like a comedic one!"

(A man who got lost in Duel Academy for seven whole episodes even though he was already a second-year student)

"Even if you say that, it's still a fact that you've gone in the wrong direction."

"Or do you think you know the way better than me, Judai Yuki?" Marufuji Sho was interrupted before he could finish speaking. The "safety officer" who was with Marufuji Sho spoke up, and it was clear from his tone that he knew Judai.

Looking at the man in front of him with a hairstyle somewhat similar to his own and a familiar face, the Tenth Proxy replied confidently, "Because I've never felt lost on the path of a hero, of course I'm not directionally challenged! -- But, uncle, who are you? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"

"Hmph, of course you've seen me before, Jaden Yuki. After all, there were times when Hayato Kobayashi bought the Golden Egg Bread from the school's Duel Bread. And the dorm supervisors basically only serve dinner; you guys usually eat breakfast and lunch at the cafeteria."

As he spoke, the man pulled out a folded chef's hat from somewhere and put it on his head: "Now, do you remember who I am?"

The moment the hat covered the man's wine-red hair, Jaden's eyes widened in surprise, and he pointed at the man, exclaiming, "Eh?! Mr. Ameruda!?"

"I didn't recognize you at all after you took off your hat." After a pause, Jaden said, somewhat puzzled, "But... why do you look at me with such a displeased expression?"

The Duel Academy cafeteria chef, Amelda, who had been summoned by Hayato to act as a security guard on the island, snorted like his old rival Seto Kaiba and glanced at Jaden: "If you saw someone serve you a bowl of mapo tofu with strawberry sauce... no, that's not the right example. I remember your favorite food is fried shrimp, right? How would you feel if someone peeled all the batter off the fried shrimp for you, soaked it in water, and then coated the shrimp meat with wasabi?"

"What heresy!" Jaden exclaimed angrily, his face already contorted with rage halfway through the conversation. "Who has committed such an outrageous act!"

"That's an analogy, you bastard! I'm not talking about anyone else, I'm talking about you, you bastard who pours tomato sauce into pasta and brings canned pineapple or even durian to order pizza from me!"

Ameruda's handsome face was contorted with rage, his hands clasped together in their country's classic gesture, venting the Syracuse's fury at the tenth generation.

Chapter 1473 Anyone can be number one as long as there are enough modifiers.

"Is there really no other way, Mr. Ameruda?"

It took a while for Ameruda to calm down—judging from his opening of his palm to break the classic Syracuse gesture, he seemed to be over his anger? Probably—Jaden asked Ameruda for the correct direction to the center of the island.

But Ameruda bluntly rejected Jaden, saying, "No, this event is a 'wilderness survival' that Kobayashi Hayato prepared for you, right? Just the fact that he'll set up a supply depot for you on the island is enough for me to tell Kobayashi Hayato that he's being too kind to you."

"Do you really expect to be lucky enough to meet someone who can guide you while you're trying to survive in the wilderness?"

"I just happened to run into you, Mr. Ameruda, didn't I?" Judai said with a grin. "This island is so big, it's really lucky that I ran into other people. Mr. Ameruda, please don't hold a grudge. I promise I won't bring canned pineapple to the cafeteria next time."

“But maybe we could put some cherries and cream on the Neapolitan pizza…” Judai didn’t continue under Ameruda’s murderous gaze.

"Let me make it clear beforehand that I hold no grudges, but rules are rules. As a 'safety officer' who was called to this island, I cannot offer any assistance to you contestants until the conditions are met."

Ameruda refused Judai's request again, but Judai sensed the message in his words and asked curiously, "Conditions? What conditions?"

“Like him, he was disqualified.” Pointing at Marufuji Sho, Amelda gave the answer directly, a smirk playing on her lips. “If it’s a contestant like Marufuji Sho who was disqualified from facing a materialized Duel Monster on the island and is already under protection, it’s okay for me to tell him the right direction. That’s the necessary condition for the ‘safety officer’ to lend a hand.”

Are you also going to give up participating in Kobayashi Hayato's games?

"No, if I give up on continuing the competition, what's the point of knowing the right direction?" Judai complained, then suddenly had a brilliant idea and displayed his extraordinary wisdom, "Hey! Didn't Sho just say that if he defeats you, Mr. Ameruda, he can regain his eligibility to participate? That means even if he loses his eligibility, he can return to the competition as long as he can defeat the safety officer."

"In that case, I'll first disqualify myself, then get the right direction from you, Mr. Ameruda, and then win the revival match, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

“It’s rare to see someone from the Red Dorm. If you were this smart in class, would Professor Chronos have been so hostile towards you?” Ameruda looked at Jaden and nodded. “Indeed, as you said, if you surrender to me first, I can tell you the correct direction to the center of the island. After that, you can prove your strength by defeating me and successfully regain your qualifications.”

"In fact, it's part of the rules—help from others isn't free, but you can get help if you prove you're strong. This applies to the supply depot and the assistance from the 'safety officers.'"

Jaden didn't consider the information that Ameruda had inadvertently revealed to him, who hadn't yet found a supply depot, that "supplies can only be obtained through duels." Instead, he eagerly said, "If that's possible, that's great! Then, Mr. Ameruda, let's duel! I've been waiting impatiently!"

"Okay, but then your follower Marufuji Sho won't have a chance to be resurrected."

Amelda unfolded her Duel Disk and said to Jaden, "I'm ready for a duel, is it alright if we duel here?"

However, Jaden did not immediately respond to his preparations and unfold his Duel Disk as well. Instead, he froze and asked Amelda again, "Huh? What did you just say, Mr. Amelda?"

"Can we duel here? No, judging from your expression, you're more concerned about the fact that 'Marufuji Sho has no chance of being resurrected,' aren't you?" Ameruda said calmly. "Don't you have the delusion that not only is the help from others free, but you also believe that others can lend a helping hand indefinitely?"

“Listen up, Jaden Yuki, this world is cruel. The number of people who can stand at the top is limited, the resources that can be enjoyed are limited, and even the number of people who can survive is limited. You, who have never experienced the cruel society and the tragic war, are just like a child with a head full of naive fantasies.”

If someone else said this, they might be accused of pointing fingers at others from a moral high ground, but Ameruda is more than qualified to say it. After all, he has experienced the fact that due to war, he was the only one left alive in his entire family and even the entire town. During his years of wandering, he was more aware of the finiteness of resources than most people in the world. Furthermore, he has fought against powerful figures like Hayato and Kaiba, who stand at the pinnacle of the world, and thus realized the difference in strength between the two sides.

In comparison, Jaden, who was dreaming of becoming a hero, really seemed like a child full of naive fantasies in front of him.

However, Jaden was unaware of Ameruda's past, and seeing Ameruda's serious expression, he assumed the other was still holding a grudge. From Ameruda's words, Jaden offered his interpretation: "Mr. Ameruda, are you saying that the help you can offer is only available once?"

"That's right. Assuming you can actually defeat me, you can indeed get the right direction from me, but in return, even if Marufuji Sho has the ability to defeat me, he won't be able to challenge me again and return to the competition. It's like being in a burning museum, where you can only take one person with you. You need to choose between saving a precious masterpiece or your pet that you've raised for many years."

Ameruda said calmly, “You’d better make a choice quickly, or you’ll spend too much time lost on the road and never catch up with the others.”

“Then I’ll give up getting information about directions from you, Mr. Ameruda.” Jaden made his choice immediately and decisively. “I choose to duel with you, Mr. Ameruda, and bring Sho back.”

"B-Big brother?" Judai's choice surprised Marufuji Sho. He immediately said, "No, big brother. Even if you save me, I'll just be a burden and won't be able to help you. It's more important for you to get the right direction sooner than for me."

"What nonsense are you talking about, Sho? You're not a burden, you're my important friend!" Despite Marufuji Sho pulling on her sleeve, Judai said firmly, "Who would abandon their friend to find their way? At worst, I'll just throw my shoe and see which way the toe is pointing."

"Although I was touched, wasn't that method a bit too reckless?"

"Because I've already tried two methods: standing on a tree branch to see which way it falls and spinning around in place until I just randomly pick a direction."

"That's a really reckless approach. Where could you possibly find such a method... No, let's not be too sure of ourselves." Recalling Jonouchi's incredible luck, Ameruda withdrew her unfinished words. "Although your determination to never give up is commendable, the Duel Academy doesn't have any points that I can give you."

"Besides, even if you defeat me in a duel, you still can't save your little brother."

"Huh? Why?" Jaden blinked, his face full of curiosity.

“Because of the rules Mr. Ameruda mentioned, right?” Marufuji Sho explained his understanding to Judai. “Guiding you, or rescuing us from this forest, would be considered Mr. Ameruda’s ‘help,’ but your act of rescuing me would not be considered ‘help’ to you, but rather ‘help’ to me.”

“In other words, if I want to regain my eligibility to participate, there is only one way, and that is…” Marufuji Sho’s voice grew weaker and weaker as he looked at Ameruda with some fear, “…that is, I have to defeat Mr. Ameruda.”

"But that's definitely impossible, isn't it? Because I'm just a bad student in the Osiris-Red Dormitory, and unlike my older brother who stays in the Red Dormitory because he likes red and hasn't leveled up, I'm really just at the Red Dormitory level. So, so older brother, you shouldn't worry about me, find Mr. Ameruda to get the right direction and then hurry up and catch up with Manjoume and the others—"

Before Marufuji Sho could finish speaking, Judai pressed down on his shoulders. His eyes widened as he looked at Judai, who was bending over to meet his gaze, his expression serious. "Is that so? Well, then there's nothing we can do. It seems the only way is—"

Hearing Judai's words, Marufuji Sho felt a mix of sadness and relief, a genuine sense of ease. He was a selfish person, a fact he was aware of, and of course, he had fantasized that Judai would stay with him no matter what. If he had been a student when he first entered the university, he definitely would have had such selfish thoughts.