Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

“Death won’t come for you when you’re fully prepared,” Manjoume said, gritting his teeth and taking the first step. “It’s better than being caught by that ‘demon’ behind me!”

On this steep slope of nearly seventy degrees, Manjoume started running wildly, and due to gravity, he couldn't stop running as fast as he ran, and his speed increased.

“That’s true. I’d rather try this than be caught up.” Misawa said, taking a step forward and embarking on the downhill path that couldn’t be stopped or slowed down. He didn’t forget to call out to Kenzan, “There’s no time to think about it. Hurry up and catch up, Kenzan. You don’t want to be caught up by that ‘demon’.”

"So, what exactly is this 'demon'?"

Looking at the two people running wildly down the hillside in front of him, and then back at the forest that was shadowy and concealed something that made Kenzan and Manjoume so wary, Kenzan muttered to himself, shrugged indifferently, and followed in their footsteps.

It wasn't that he felt fear or apprehension towards the so-called "demon" in the forest because of their descriptions; it was simply that, regardless of what kind of being the so-called demon in the forest might be, he was looking for a way down the mountain to reach the villa at the end, and this downhill path seemed to be the shortest one.

Although it looked dangerous, after weighing the pros and cons, Kenzan felt it was better to catch up with the two senior students who had already descended the mountain than to find a safer route down himself. He cared more about his ranking at the finish line than about the danger, since Principal Hayato had said that the top three would receive a reward, which meant that only the top three could be considered the winners of this "wilderness survival" challenge.

Because of Jaden's presence, Kenzan's motivation to compete for first place wasn't as strong, but he did have a strong desire to compete for the top three.

In that case, it's better to take the risk of going down the mountain than to watch helplessly as the two senior students who took the safe route down the hill take the rankings and push me out of the top three.

Besides—in the end, although going down this steep slope is indeed dangerous, Kenzan is not a peaceful person. His leg bone was injured by a falling rock when he was a child and a dinosaur fossil was implanted in it—on another film set, that rock might have crippled Kenji.

"I can do it, I can do it too, I can get down the mountain from here!" Unlike Misawa and Manjoume, who were relatively careful and slowly descending the mountain, Kenzan rushed down the slope with much wilder movements, even jumping onto the slope, which gave him considerable initial speed. He quickly caught up with Manjoume and Misawa and rushed down the mountain together into the forest below.

"Hehe~ There's nothing we can do about it."

In the forest where Manjoume and Misawa had just been, a dark figure emerged with elegant cat-like steps. Though the pace was unhurried, it carried an air of dominance that made it impossible for anyone to stop or change direction.

Seeing that the three people who were just together had now all run down the hillside, the dark figure put one hand on his hip and sneered, "After waiting for seven days, we finally got three people. Let's play a little cat-and-mouse game to kill time. Hopefully, the game won't end too soon."

"Or perhaps, reaching the end while being pursued by me would be an interesting ending."

The scene shifts back to Manjoume and his group, who were forced to run down the mountain. Shortly after entering the forest, they were unable to avoid the intertwined tree branches and came to a stop almost simultaneously by crashing into the trees.

Although he was lucky enough not to die from crashing into a tree stump like the rabbit in the story of "waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump" or to pass out directly, even though he had adjusted the angle in advance and used the backpack containing supplies as a buffer, Manjoume still felt that his internal organs had definitely shifted to some extent during the impact. He collapsed to the ground powerless and could no longer move.

Manjoume's physique was considered quite good, but Misawa's situation was more complicated. When Manjoume struggled to turn over and look at Misawa, he saw that Misawa was pressing one hand against his abdomen, his expression contorted as he endured the pain and said, "Just now, I think I broke a rib."

"Is it alright?"

"Probably? I'll try pressing it back in myself later." Misawa not only had broken ribs, but his internal organs were also impacted. However, it seemed that his condition was much better than he had initially expected. "Where's Kenzan?"

"That dinosaur kid?" As Misawa tried to push his ribs back in, Manjoume also found Kenzan, who had come down the mountain with them and then crashed into a tree, effectively "passively braking." He looked at Kenzan and said, "Look, he's lying there, not moving."

"There are still some ups and downs, hiss—did he get knocked unconscious?" Sanze stood up and looked at the fallen Kenzan.

"What? That's it? It feels... not as good as Judai." Manjoume said with some disappointment. He was a shut-in, and Misawa was a weak bookworm. The two of them bumped into a tree and were not seriously injured. It's a shame that Kenzan even said he had some "dinosaur DNA".

But he didn't consider how high and steep they had just run down, and how they hadn't used any proper cushioning devices but rather hard trees to brake. Honestly, Kenzan's performance was already among the luckiest and most resilient of ordinary people. It was Manjoume and Misawa's performance that was abnormal...

Oh, so they're duelists? That's alright then. After all, during the Duel Academy's annual sports meet, there's even an outrageous event where you have to "land from the third floor without any protection and perform more than three consecutive side handsprings." The highest record is held by a senior named Tsurumaki Shin, who has already graduated, and holds the record of twenty side handsprings.

Moreover, even though Kenzan accidentally knocked himself unconscious, he woke up on his own after only a minute. Looking at Misawa and Manjoume, who had recovered, he said somewhat awkwardly, "Ahahaha, I accidentally didn't notice the tree branch and knocked myself unconscious."

"It's good that you're alright." Taking out the special spray provided by Haima Group from his backpack, Misawa sprayed it on the ribs that he had already corrected back into place. The spray took effect through his skin, giving Misawa a tingling sensation as if his bones were healing rapidly. While marveling at how outrageous Haima Group's technology was, he said, "But at least we escaped from that mountain."

"It's too early to relax, Koba... I mean, do you think that demon will let us prey off so easily?" Manjoume almost blurted out something, then quickly corrected himself, "Given that guy's twisted sense of humor, he'll definitely chase us like a cat playing with a mouse, leaving us with a sliver of hope to escape, only to mercilessly cut it off just as we're about to get away!"

"However, Manjoume, what you said is a bit too detailed." Misawa wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "We should still be able to escape, right? If there are three of us, at least one of us should be able to escape, right?"

"So I still don't understand, senior, what exactly did you see on the mountain?" Listening to their conversation, Kenzan was somewhat puzzled. "On one hand, you're talking about demons, other dimensions, and even Yapool, and on the other hand, you seem to know the other person's personality. And what's the basis for your judgment about demons?"

"Basis? None. Just like you can tell it's a tractor just by hearing the engine, you can automatically conclude 'that's a demon' just by seeing it. Yes, just like you'll get your own saliva in your face when you sneeze into the wind."

"Believe me, knowing that the other party is a 'devil' is enough. I would even rather switch places with you and not know so much," Misawa said somewhat seriously.

"But I have another question." Kenzan looked at Manjoume. "Didn't you guys say before that you could summon materialized Duel Monsters on this island? Why wasn't there an option for you to turn around and fight that demon as duelists? Even Manjoume, who was so arrogant at the beginning, changed his mind after walking into the forest for a short while?"

"Fight? It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't. You simply can't summon a monster in front of that guy." Manjoume sneered, without elaborating. "If you don't believe me, try summoning a monster yourself."

"Take my word, senior. I've tried it before." Kenzan held the card, put it on the duel disk, picked it up again, and repeated the action, but nothing else appeared around him after he played the card. "But look, I tried it, and it didn't work at all."

"Don't try, no, to be precise, don't approach it with the mindset of trying," Misawa advised. "Instead, play the cards with the mindset of 'I can summon monsters naturally.' Believe first, then believe."

"I've already tried it all, how am I supposed to just take it for granted and play the cards like this, senior?" Kenzan complained, looking at Manjoume beside him, "Manjoume-senpai, do you have any tricks?"

"I don't know, I've never thought about such a thing. Summoning monsters is just a normal thing." Despite his rare talent as a "spirit user," Manjoume was not as good at teaching as Misawa, and he spoke in a way that was difficult for Kenzan to understand.

"What's the difference between normal and taken for granted?" Kenzan complained, looking helplessly at Misawa and Manjoume. "It was you seniors who said that, and I even thought you two could at least give me some pointers on what I call 'summoning a physical dueling monster'."

Upon hearing Kenzan's words, Misawa and Manjoume exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming subtle: "Although we haven't fully passed this course either, this is the first lesson we're going to teach you in this area, Kenzan-kun."

"The first lesson, or Lesson 1, is to not have any strange expectations of us."

At this point, Misawa added, "More specifically, after the start of the semester, you can attend our principal's 'Elf Coexistence Class.' Although the name sounds strange, it will definitely be rewarding."

"Compared to that, I'm more interested in materialized Duel Monsters." Kenzan wasn't very interested in classes, which was similar to his older brother, Jaden Yuki. "I wish I could see materialized Duel Monsters in person."

Just as Kenzan finished speaking, a voice suddenly rang out: "Is that so? Is this your wish? Then let me grant it to you—to see a materialized Duel Monster with my own eyes."

With this sound, Kenzan, Misawa, and Manjoume, without needing any prompting, immediately fled from their original positions. Then, a strange hole suddenly appeared where they had been, as if it had always been there!

Looking at how he had almost been swallowed by the suddenly appearing hole, and how the stone that Misawa had tentatively thrown into the hole had disappeared, Manjoume couldn't help but say, "Wait, is this for real?"

“Otherwise, don’t forget the name of this event is ‘Wilderness Survival’ not ‘Wilderness Trip’.” Misawa subconsciously unfolded his Duel Disk, about to summon a monster, but then stopped after remembering something. “We’ve already crossed the wilderness, now it seems we’re about to start the survival challenge.”

"What is that?" Looking at the pitch-black hole that seemed to lead to another dimension, Kenzan swallowed hard and looked around warily. "Who's hiding there? Come out!"

Although Kenzan had not actually found any trace of anyone, that did not stop him from trying to trick the attackers like he was doing now.

"Hehehehe, you brats from Duel Academy, do you think you can trick me out like this? You can't even realize that there are traps all around you and that you're surrounded!" The voice came from all directions, elusive and impossible to pinpoint its source. As the voice rang out, Misawa and the others noticed that their surroundings had suddenly changed.

Although the surrounding trees remained unchanged, a strange and sweet fragrance gradually emanated from the nearby grass, as if enticing people to approach. Furthermore, the figure of a young girl could be seen moving through the distant forest, arousing curiosity in people.

"I think it's time to summon the monster, senpai?" Kenzan urged, looking at Manjoume and Misawa who hadn't moved. "Is it necessary to keep it hidden?"

"I said, it's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't!" Manjoume emphasized again. "Here, summoning a Duel Monster outside of a duel will result in a physical form, but the cost is a huge drain on stamina, regardless of whether it's a Card Spirit or not. And once a physical monster is summoned, the stamina consumed won't be restored, no matter its state, whether it's recalled or destroyed."

"And that demon's power is the power that manipulates these 'holes,' and it even devoured my [Dragon of Light and Darkness]!"

Chapter 1495 A Pitfall Upon a Pitfall. Part One

"Clang—!"

The sound of metal scraping against metal rang out. The Six Samurai - Nizo, wielding two swords, crossed his weapons and jammed them against a pair of large, green, toothed leaves that suddenly rose from the ground, intending to bite Misawa and the others. This gave the group a chance to escape, but a stream of dissolving liquid suddenly shot out from the leaves and hit Nizo at point-blank range, rendering him powerless and causing him to fall into the "hole" that had suddenly appeared beneath his feet.

Because the summoned materialized Duel Monster disappeared, Misawa suddenly felt a deep fatigue and his running speed slowed down a bit, but fortunately, Kenzan and Manjoume pulled him along so that he was not left behind.

"That's because the monsters we summon can only hold out for a moment before disappearing." Manjoume said to Kenzan, pulling Misawa away from a spiderweb that seemed to descend from above. "That's why we only summon monsters when necessary."

"【Dark Armed Dragon】!"

The moment the giant spider, unable to catch its prey in its web, swooped down from above, the black dragon swung its tail, precisely striking the spider's body and sending it flying. At the same time, it turned and swung its arm, using its sturdy gauntlet to precisely jam the pitcher plant's leaves that were attacking from behind, preventing them from closing.

"Now's the time! Break through!"

Taking advantage of the fact that the surrounding monsters were all being held back by the Dark Armed Dragon, Manjoume quickly called Kenzan to follow him and run away.

"There really are materialized Duel Monsters." Kenzan glanced back at [Dark Armed Dragon]. An antlion burst out of the ground and launched a sneak attack, breaking the stalemate. [Dark Armed Dragon], after dragging several giant carnivorous insects and plants and crashing through several large trees, was also swallowed by a dangerous "hole". "Now I have to believe it."

Misawa had just recovered, and now it was Manjoume's turn to be exhausted because of the monster's disappearance. Moreover, due to the visible difference between the Dark Armed Dragon and the Six Samurai - Nizo, Manjoume's physical strength was significantly higher, and even his face turned pale.

Now it was Kenzan's turn to stand between Misawa and Manjoume, dragging them away with one hand each. As he ran, he asked, "How could you arrange such a dangerous environment for us? Principal Kobayashi is so irresponsible! You said there were only some 'small animals' on the island!"

"If you actually believe that, then you've been fooled. After all, we're duelists, right? From the very beginning, we should be prepared for battle." Manjoume retorted, pointing ahead, "If I remember correctly, this direction is where Hayato-sensei said the finish line villa is. If we hurry up and get to the finish line, we can end the chase."

“That’s definitely the direction. I checked it on the mountain just now.” Misawa said, then looked at Kenzan and said, “But don’t worry, although it looks extremely dangerous, Hayato-sensei wouldn’t risk our lives. As long as we’re prepared to fight to the death, we should be able to escape successfully, right?”

"We clearly saw how those materialized Duel Monsters made their moves, seniors, aren't you a little too confident that nothing will happen?" Kenzan complained, thinking of those ferocious plants and animals from earlier. "But what kind of cards were those monsters? I've never heard of a deck that has both Plant and Insect types."

“No, I remember seeing some ‘Nature’ monsters that were both plant and insect types in ‘Wanaheim’ during the ‘Battle of the King of Light - Queen Mador’. However, they were much more docile, more like Pegasus’s ‘Cartoon’ monsters.” Misawa paused, glancing back at the pursuers who were gradually falling behind. “And these ones behind us feel more like Hayato-sensei’s ‘Predatory Plants’ monsters.”

"It probably has nothing to do with [predatory plants]. Among those guys later on, there are not only plants, but also quite a few arthropods. The commonality is not 'carnivorous' or 'predator,' but something else entirely." Manjoume refuted Misawa's speculation. "But now is not the time to think about those things. Let's relax once we reach the finish line."

As the group ran, they saw the finish line appear in front of them very quickly, where many people, including Hayato Kobayashi, were waiting to welcome them.

It felt like they hadn't run very far, yet they had reached the finish line so quickly? It felt somewhat unreal, but the finish line was indeed in front of them. Without hesitation, the three of them, including Manjoume, ran towards the finish line.

In just a few seconds, perhaps their willpower squeezed out their physical strength, the three of them quickly reached the villa at the finish line. Only after crossing the villa gate and entering the garden did they slow down a bit and relax.

It was at this moment that the dangerous monsters that had been following the three of them reappeared. Although Manjoume and the others had run into the villa's garden, they were still unwilling to give up and tried to break into the safe zone to catch these "cooked ducks that had flown away".

However, it's clear that Hayato Kobayashi has also released his [Predatory Plant] monsters here, and they don't allow other predators to trespass on their territory. Entangled in vines, they transform into three-headed dragons, slapping monsters to death with a single blow, and wreaking havoc among the intruding creatures, quickly driving them all away.

Seeing the monsters like spiders, Venus flytraps, and antlions driven away, Manjoume and the others confirmed that they had truly entered the safe zone and couldn't help but relax. Although Kenzan still had a lot of energy, Manjoume and Misawa sat down in the garden to rest.

"We escaped? From that demon?" Misawa asked uncertainly.

"Yes, children, you have escaped."

The person who answered him was not Kenzan or Manjoume, but Kobayashi Hayato, who was waiting for them in front of the villa.

"Hayato-sensei?" Misawa looked at Hayato, who was smiling peacefully, with some surprise, then glanced at the horde of monsters behind them that had long since disappeared. He couldn't find the "demon" he had seen at the beginning among them. "How come you were in front of us? I thought you were..."

"The one who manipulated the monster horde and attacked us with what appeared to be a 'hole' leading to another dimension wasn't you, Hayato-sensei?" Manjoume was a little embarrassed. He had thought it was Hayato himself chasing them, which was why he was so nervous. But it turned out that Hayato had been waiting for them at the finish line all along, and he had been completely wrong.

It was precisely because they thought that person was Hayato that Manjoume and Misawa both chose to use the term "that demon," which is similar to "You-Know-who," to refer to the pursuer. After all, it was absolutely unacceptable to expose Hayato's disguise. This matter is also recorded in the "Duel Academy 2005 Halloween Celebration Summary Report."

On Halloween, the students of Duel Academy are given a day off and no classes, giving them ample time to prepare for the evening's revelry. The vast majority of them will cosplay as various monsters or Duel Monsters to participate in the joint festival held by the academy. For example, last year, Manjoume carefully prepared the costume of "Destruction Swordsman" on that day, because encountering the "Destruction Swordsman" deck is indeed terrifying for Dragon deck users.

As a festival for duelists, duels are naturally inevitable. Last year's festival event was "tag," where school staff dressed as ghosts roamed around. Participants who defeated the ghosts could win various rewards, including candy, snacks, and even Halloween-themed monster cards.

As the principal, Hayato Kobayashi naturally participated in the event, playing the role of a ghost. He portrayed a classic monster zombie—although the design was rather unusual, with its black and white contrast making it look more like a masked O-man than a zombie, or something that had come out of a video game.

He was playing the part quite well, and because he was using a Halloween-themed "Ghostly Tactics" deck, he even managed to hold his own against Manjoume and nearly beat Hayato, who was holding back.

As a result, Manjoume became too arrogant because he was able to defeat Hayato, and even made threats at Hayato, who was playing the role of a ghost, even after Hayato repeatedly emphasized that "he was just a passing zombie".

As a result, Kobayashi Hayato, annoyed by his own rant, said things like "I'm fed up with all this red tape" and "I've abandoned my bottom line here," and suddenly started beating himself up. He also changed his previous slacking-off attitude and started hunting mode, capturing and defeating students who were loitering around the academy, and then assigning a deadly amount of homework.

From that moment on, all the students knew one thing—when Kobayashi Hayato appeared under some disguised identity, even if you recognized him, it was best to pretend you didn't. It was always better to pretend you didn't recognize him than to go head-to-head with the Duel King.

When Misawa and Manjoume were in the forest, they really felt like they had encountered Hayato Kobayashi. Although they couldn't see the face and body of the person who controlled the monster horde and could release "holes," the tone of voice of that person was exactly the same as Hayato's at times. In a word, it was "Dio-like."

The cat-and-mouse playing attitude was somewhat similar, and the opponent's strength was indeed overwhelmingly powerful, so Misawa and Manjoume both thought that the other party was really Kobayashi Hayato and that he was playing some role in this "hunting game".

Who knew it wasn't?

"What? Was it Principal Kobayashi chasing us just now?" Kenzan asked in surprise.

"That topic is over." Upon hearing this, Manjoume said with a hint of disdain. After a pause, he looked at Hayato and asked a question that he was very concerned about, "Hayato-sensei, were there any other people who reached the finish line before us?"

“No, you’re the first to arrive.” Hayato smiled gently at them and said, “According to the order in which we came in, Jun Manjoume, you were actually the first one to walk in here, followed by Daichi Misawa and Tirano Kenzan.”

"Really!?" Manjoume exclaimed in surprise. "I'm actually the first one?!"

"Big brother is actually still behind me?" Jian Shan was also somewhat surprised.

Misawa looked deeply moved: "My name was actually pronounced correctly?!"