Over the course of the afternoon, Irena's view of Aisha changed completely—More precisely, her perception of Aisha's understanding of Duels transformed entirely.
Irena had watched nearly the whole process as Aisha used those 100 borrowed spell points.
Originally, Irena intended to offer advice. But she quickly realized it wasn't necessary at all.
Every choice Aisha made in crafting Spell and Trap Cards astonished even a Duelist of Irena's caliber. Each one made her think, 'Wait, you can do that?!'
By the time Aisha had used up all her points, Irena could only think of one word: perfect.
Out of the countless D-rank cards available, Aisha had selected the exact ones that best suited her current deck.
Even if Irena had picked them herself, she couldn't have done better.
So much so that Irena began to believe that even with a deck full of low-level monsters, Aisha just might stand a chance against the top first-year Duelist, Kevin Seth.
…
Inside Fiona's Magic Restaurant, the entire room fell into uproar.
When Irena suggested that Kevin might lose to Aisha, nearly every student dining there paused mid-bite.
Was this some kind of joke? A drama performance?
If anyone else had said it, the room would've burst into laughter.
But this was the Gray Witch Irena, one of Fusion Academy's second-year champions—Questioning her words meant questioning her skill.
Not many dared.
"Irena-senpai, did you say I might lose tomorrow's Duel?"
Kevin's expression was even more severe than usual.
"That's more or less what I said."
After swallowing a cherry tomato from her salad, Irena appeared calm despite the chaos she'd caused.
"Maintaining a 100% win rate must be a lot of pressure, Kevin. Losing once might even be good for you. You know, even your brother and I couldn't keep perfect records."
In their first year, Irena and Kaima Seth were fierce rivals. Perfection was never easy.
"No. I won't lose!" Kevin declared, eyes sharp. "I will prove I'm better than my brother. If that's all, I'll be leaving now."
With that, he turned and left—not back to his table, but straight out of the restaurant.
"I-Irena-senpai!" Aisha cried out once Kevin was gone. "Why would you provoke him like that? Now he'll take the Duel even more seriously!"
Aisha had hoped Kevin might underestimate her—just enough to create a sliver of hope.
Yet, Irena had done the opposite. Now, Kevin would be dead serious.
Irena said calmly, "He was never going to take you lightly. Keeping a perfect record forces him to give every Duel his all. There's no such thing as underestimating in his world."
"Then... why did you say all that?"
"To increase the pressure. Especially after I brought up his brother..."
She pinched her fingers close together.
"Kevin is overly prideful. Maybe it's a family thing, but the relationship between the Seth brothers is more complicated than it seems. 'I must surpass my brother' has become Kevin's obsession."
"You mean..."
"That pride may push him to overextend himself tomorrow. That's the opportunity."
Before today, Irena never would have dreamed Aisha could win. However, after witnessing her card crafting, Irena decided to bet on her.
With that level of Duel insight, this battle might be Aisha Yuna Carlos's rebirth.
If she overcame this hurdle, she could one day become a top Duelist at Fusion Academy.
On the way back to the dorms after dinner, Irena leaned in mysteriously.
"Here, Aisha. Take this card."
"A card?"
Irena's sudden offer made Aisha tremble involuntarily.
'...A tradable card.'
In the Elves' Continent, tradable cards were even rarer than crafted ones.
Monster Cards bound themselves to their summoner on summon. Spell and Trap Cards were bound at creation.
There were only two ways a card could become tradable.
First, when a powerful Duelist passed away, their favorite card might persist as a historical artifact.
Such cards almost never appeared in the hands of ordinary people. Even nobles struggled to obtain them.
Second, though more common, the origin was... darker.
A type of Duel called the "Shadow Game" allowed the winner to take one card from the loser. That card would then become a tradable card.
These Duels were strictly forbidden by every nation.
It was said that those who lost Shadow Games, even if they survived, would have their souls eroded into madness.
Still, for profit, some Dark Duelists operated in secret, amassing cards through forbidden means.
Tradable rares like [Monster Reborn] or [Pot of Greed] fetched prices on the black market that rivaled noble fortunes.
"Is this okay, Irena-senpai?" Aisha panicked, pressing Irena's hand down and glancing around.
Taking out a card like this at school was risky.
"Relax. It's not what you think."
Smiling, Irena grasped Aisha's cold fingers gently.
She understood Aisha had mistaken it for a black-market card.
"This card was passed down from my grandmother. I think you'll make better use of it than I ever could."
"From your grandmother? That's so precious..."
Relieved to know it wasn't contraband, Aisha accepted the card.
On it was a cute, purple-haired girl holding a giant key-staff, wearing a gentle smile.
[Crowned by the World Chalice] Level 2│WATER│Spellcaster│2100 DEF
A 2-star Normal Monster with zero Attack, but a towering 2100 Defense—almost absurdly high for a "fodder" monster!
***
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