Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds: The Path of Evolution

Chapter 16 Underground Tournament

This year's underground tournament had sixteen participants who qualified, so a sixteen-person elimination tournament was adopted.

The first day will be the round of 16 to 8 and the quarterfinals to 4. The second day will be a rest day for the players. The third day will be the semifinals and finals.

"The top four teams all receive prize money, the champion gets two million, and of course, the coveted Series D funding!"

"Even the last-place finisher in the semifinals gets a prize of 200,000 and a Synchro Monster!"

Joel proceeded to paint a rosy picture for the group.

He's practically portraying that underground tournament, whose true nature is unknown, as a bright path to the future.

The top four get prizes, but conversely, if you don't make it to the top four, you get nothing.

The champion's prize is two million plus a D-round, while the prize for the top eight is just wasted money and effort. The world of duelists is truly a cruel society of inequality...

That's just how all competitive sports are.

After Kanpaku finished speaking, he raised his own question.

"So, why are the rewards so generous this year?"

Joel paused for a moment, quickly looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping, and then lowered his voice to speak.

"It's said that this competition has a big shot backing it up in the city, and this year they've secured a big shot as a sponsor..."

"So the water inside is very deep?"

Joel nodded.

"However, for us contestants, all we need to do is focus on the duel."

Allen added somewhat dejectedly.

"After all, it's still a question whether I can even make it to the quarterfinals."

Seeing Allen's low morale, Guan Bai opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

After all, the problem is that he hasn't even assembled a complete set of scrap metal cards, so what can Kanpaku do to help him in this regard?

After the pre-match preparations were almost complete, Jol led the two to the basement of the abandoned building.

There's a black van parked here—the black paint is obviously applied later, and you can vaguely see the worn-out body shell at the edges.

Joel drove deeper into the non-jurisdictional area.

After turning left and right through the ruins, we finally arrived at a large underground garage.

Having arrived here, Kanpaku's biggest impression is that this place is really hard to find. If Kanpaku had come by himself, he probably would have gotten lost in the intricate and complex sea of ruins.

Getting out of the car and passing through the heavy iron gate guarded by black-clad bodyguards, Guan Bai seemed to have entered another world.

A red carpet was laid out, edged with gold.

In the neat white arena in the center, two people were having a warm-up match. Surrounding them were spectator stands protected by transparent tempered glass, which were full of people.

Most of them were dressed neatly, and it was clear at a glance that they were among the top-ranking people in the satellite area!

Looking up, the VIP area, shrouded in red curtains, subtly and luxuriously overlooks the entire venue.

Joel reminded Kanpaku that the spectators there were the leaders of the largest gangs in the satellite district, as well as some mysterious big shots from the city.

Guan Bai never expected that someone could build such a beautiful stadium in this place hidden under the ruins.

Joel guessed what the regent was thinking and began to explain the history of the place from the side.

"This stadium was built a long time ago, but it was abandoned because of the Zero Point Reversal incident. It was discovered by gangsters who were exploring the area a few years ago, and that's how it was renovated into this place."

"With fine wine, beautiful women, and duels, this place has become a well-known underground den of iniquity, attracting many wealthy people from the city to spend their money here."

The aria-like female voice somehow imbued this brief history with an epic quality.

I see. No wonder I saw the letter KC in some corners.

So this was left by Haima Automobile, right?

All I can say is that Haima Technology is really awesome.

The building was able to remain basically intact even after a massive destruction like the Zero Point Reversal, and the gangsters in the satellite district were even able to use it to hold competitions and make money.

This reminded Guan Bai of the man who liked to padded his shoulders and wore a white trench coat.

Passing through the casino's side entrance to the players' area, the three saw the receptionist confirming their registration.

When the staff member confirmed the Kanbai's spot, he simply counted how many cards were in the deck he was using and then entered Kanbai into the player's list.

You really don't know how to check deck information...

Guan Bai sat in the lounge prepared for the players, reminiscing.

The fact that the tournament did not confirm the deck information is, in Kanpaku's view, the biggest disagreement between anime and OCG tournaments.

In the anime, players don't need to report their decks and are allowed to freely modify or even change the decks they use during the match.

Even when a player pulls out a deck they've never seen before, the host and audience react with something like, "Is this person finally showing their full strength?"

No need to ask why, because this is the ancestral method that has been used from the DM era to the 5DS era.

After all, if strictly requiring deck reporting were enforced, the main characters would have been eliminated long ago while printing their cards.

Imagine the moment when Crab King's image of Meteor Dragon appears in the background music of Clear Mind, and he is pointed out as a foul by Placido, who is playing the opposing role.

That scene is so beautiful, just thinking about it makes one feel like they have a heart attack, right?

Anyway, once the rules are written, they can be used. Kanpaku won't rigidly adhere to the principles of OCG, so he prepared two decks.

Separate the next-generation and the Valley of the Dawn game and play them separately.

I played the next-gen deck for the first few days, and then switched to the Valley of the Dawn deck on the last day to crush those noobs who wanted to counter me.

All the contestants have arrived, and after a simple opening performance, the pairing order has been determined.

The host is already on stage announcing the program.

"Let's welcome our worthy opponent in the first match!"

"On one side, there's the falcon soaring through the streets, viewing duelists as prey; on the other, there's Gan Luo, a regular in the tournament's top four. Who will emerge victorious?"

"Viewers who want to place bets, hurry up and choose your favorite fighter, because the exciting match is about to begin!"

Upon hearing the host's announcement, Alan quickly reminded Guan Bai.

"Kanpaku, the host has called your name!"

Guan Bai stood up and stretched.

"I didn't expect to be the first one to go on stage. Just wait and see if I get off to a winning start."

He patted Allen on the shoulder and then walked straight to the dueling arena.

Under the spotlight, the two opponents were already in position. Gan Luo, who was opposite Guan Bai, was a black-haired man with an arrogant and confident expression.

Kanpaku had a strange feeling that this match might end very easily.

A deafening roar of cheers erupted, mostly for Gan Luo.

"Gan Luo, crush this newbie!"

"Ganro, I've given you my all with my bets!!"

Amid cheers, Gan Luo lowered his arms from his chest and looked down at Guan Bai with his nose in the air.

"If you're afraid of failure, you can back out now."

The odds for Kanpaku and Ganra are 1:5.

The organizers all felt that Gan Luo was stronger than Guan Bai, so it's no wonder that guy was so arrogant.

However, Kanpaku doesn't accept this conclusion.

Seeing that Kanpaku didn't respond, Gan Luo lost interest in continuing his trash talk and continued to cross his arms, waiting for the host to announce the start of the match.

"I hereby declare the first match of the Round of 16 open—begin!"

The moment the host waved and announced the program, the two shouted at the same time.

"Duel!"

[Kanpaku LP: 4000]

Ganluo LP: 4000

"I'll make the first move!"

Gan Luo seized the initiative with great arrogance, and with his unwavering confidence, he would never let it slip through his fingers.

"My turn, draw a card!"

Looking at his hand, Gan Luo felt an overwhelming sense of victory; he felt like a duelist favored by the heavens!

Today, he can finally play his best game ever!

"Activation cost reduced! I discard Evil Knight Dragon from my hand, and all monsters in my hand lose two Levels this turn!"

"That way, I can directly use Normal Summon to summon Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon!"

A golden stream of light flew out from Ganluo's hand card, trailing a long flame as it circled the dueling arena, eliciting gasps from the audience.

Amidst everyone's amazed gazes, a golden dragon emerged from the golden light and landed on Gan Luo's field!

【Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon】

【Effect】

【Dragon/Light】

[Six-star] 2400/2200

"Activate equipment magic, Dragon's Treasure! This will increase its attack power by 300!"

【Emperor Soaring Wind Dragon】

[Six-Star] 2400/2200 → 2700/2200

Gan Luo's level of excitement reached the peak of his life to date!

"Finally, I activate Monster Resurrection! Resurrect the evil dragon knight in the graveyard!"

A deep blue serpentine dragon, its body emanating black mist, crawled back from hell. Its voice was not majestic, but rather a sinister low-pitched whine mixed with hissing.

【Evil Knight Dragon】

【Normal】

【Dragon/Dark】

[Seven Stars] 2350/2400

"My turn is over!"

"Good heavens! Gan Luo summoned two powerful high-level monsters in the very first round!"

The host was shocked and excited, and shouted into the microphone.

"As expected of a veteran of the underground tournament! How will our Kanpaku player cope with such overwhelming pressure?!"

People who bet on Gan Luo were already cheering, while almost no one bet on Kanbaku, so everyone in the room was applauding Gan Luo.

"Gan Luo, well done!!"

"Defeat this rookie with a powerful monster!!"

Surrounded by the noise, Guan Bai didn't react. He just looked at his hand and confirmed one thing.