The door closed behind them with a soft, final sound.
For a brief moment, the silence of the corridor lingered, heavy and contained, as if the conversation that had just taken place still occupied the space.
However, Alexander didn't stop walking, and Roland followed a step behind, as always, his presence steady and unobtrusive.
They politely greeted the secretary outside Hugh's office and continued to walk toward the elevator.
They entered the elevator, the doors sliding shut with quiet precision before it began its descent. The numbers ticked down in steady intervals, each one marking a return from the controlled environment above to the moving world below.
Alexander stood still, gaze forward, posture composed, but his mind wasn't idle.
The conversation with his adoptive father replayed itself as he analysed all the angles to make sure that he didn't miss anything like hidden conditions or restrictions.
After all, this wasn't the first time his father tested him like that, even if the scale of it was completely on a whole other level compared to those times.
A small, almost imperceptible shift in his expression as he thought, 'With the help of the YGO System, I can bring to life my own version of Yu-Gi-Oh! one closer to the one I've seen in the anime... I can't wait to experience such an exciting game with my own hands!'
By the time they reached the ground floor and stepped outside, the city had already resumed its usual rhythm.
Cars moved, people passed, everything continued as if nothing had changed.
The car was waiting where they had parked it.
Roland opened the door, and Alexander stepped inside without hesitation.
A moment later, Roland sat in the driver's seat, the engine started, and the vehicle merged smoothly into traffic.
For a short while, silence filled the interior, then Alexander reached forward and lightly tapped the partition.
A soft mechanical sound followed as it lowered, revealing Roland at the wheel.
Alexander spoke first, "As you've heard, I won't be able to use Roxxon Corporation's influence nor father's name."
His tone was calm, matter-of-fact.
Roland's eyes remained on the road as he replied without delay, "That is correct."
A brief pause, then he added, "You will also not receive any additional support from the company, only the funding that Master Hugh already granted you."
Alexander nodded slightly and said, "I expected as much. But father didn't give me only the funds needed to start. He also gave me something much more precious... Freedom. Freedom to act as I see fit, and freedom from the intricacies of the Roxxon Corporation itself."
He turned his head to look at the speeding scenery outside the window as he added, "The old man is as sharp as ever... He instantly realised that I wanted to build something outside Roxxon's control. Something that would belong solely to me."
Roland simply hummed in agreement, and the silence that followed was focused and measured. Then Alexander continued, "However, that means everything must be done independently."
Roland inclined his head slightly before he said, "Indeed."
Then, after another brief pause, he added, "But, I can still assist you with minor matters, should the need arise."
Alexander glanced toward him briefly, and with a confident smile on his face, he commented, "That will be enough."
He leaned back slightly into his seat before continuing, "The next step is simple."
A short pause, as if organising the thought into its most efficient form, then he explained, "I need to create more prototype cards… and then find a typography to produce a first batch."
Roland's gaze shifted slightly, just enough to acknowledge the statement before he asked, "A typography?"
Alexander nodded and said, "For the initial run."
Roland remained silent for a second before asking, "Would it not be more efficient to approach a professional manufacturer? One capable of producing at an industrial capacity?"
Alexander shook his head and replied, "Not yet."
His tone remained even but firm as he added, "I don't need that kind of scale at this stage."
He paused briefly, then continued, "The current card pool is too small to sustain a proper ecosystem. There aren't enough interactions, not enough variation."
His gaze shifted slightly toward the window as the city passed by as he concluded, "And more importantly… There is no demand for it."
Roland listened without interrupting while Alexander added, "There are no players yet. No established interest. Producing at scale now would only waste resources."
He took a short pause to make that last bit sink in, then he continued, "I'll start small."
His tone carried a quiet certainty now, "I'll use the first copies to introduce the game at school. Spread it among students. Let it take root naturally."
Roland nodded slightly, understanding his reasoning and tacitly approving the strategy, then asking, "And after that?"
Alexander answered without hesitation, explaining the plan that he had constantly refined and still was refining since he decided to recreate the trading card game, "I'll approach a few small but reputable toy stores. Organise demonstration events to let the key demographic for the initial phase experience the game. This will give it controlled exposure and will sound out the market."
He paused, just long enough to let the structure settle before he added, "Only when the game starts gaining traction locally… will I expand further."
The car moved steadily through traffic as silence returned once more, then Roland spoke, "It is a logical approach."
He took a brief pause to focus on the road ahead as a young mother with his child was crossing the street before commenting, "It has a low risk. Ensures a gradual growth matching the market's request. And allows for measurable response."
Alexander gave a small nod, "Exactly. However, this plan is just the most basic framework. I will likely change to match the reality of the situation in development."
Hearing that, Roland once again hummed in agreement and said, "That's very wise, Master Alexander."
The rest of the drive passed calmly without further discussion.
Once back home, Alexander didn't linger around the mansion.
He went straight to his room, set his things aside, and changed into more comfortable clothing.
Within minutes, he was outside in the garden and started to train.
He moved through the exercises with steady precision, each motion deliberate, each repetition measured, and by the time he finished, a light sheen of sweat covered his skin, his breathing slightly heavier but controlled.
An hour of exercise is more than enough to keep him fit.
After a quick shower, he returned to his study and took a quick look to ensure that everything was fine.
The desk was cleared and ready for use, the tools were already in place, and the materials were staked nearby the deck in order.
Seeing that, Alexander sat down and began working on the cards.
He carefully chose what to create next, focused on expanding what he already had, reinforcing existing themes and improving consistency.
Slowly but surely, he made sure to create all the prototype cards needed to build the two necessary starting decks that will be able to teach the basics like combat, tribute summoning, basic spell/trap interaction and deck identity in a fun way.
Of course, he also created completely random cards that will be put in the booster packs.
Time passed quietly.
By the time he stopped, several new prototypes lay on the desk, each one a small step forward despite the still abundant presence of failures, yet it was enough for now.
He gathered everything, stored it properly, then headed to bed to sleep, as he was aware that tomorrow would require clarity.
~~~▽~~~
He woke before the alarm.
The room was still dim, the early light barely filtering through the curtains.
Alexander lay in bed, eyes open, gaze fixed on the ceiling, and only one thought buzzed around his head, 'Something isn't right.'
The thought had been there since the previous night. It was persistent, as he hadn't been able to resolve it.
He exhaled slowly, then focused as yesterday's process of card creation replayed itself in his mind.
The blueprint, the frame, the execution and then the failure, every single time.
His eyes narrowed slightly while thinking, 'Level 6... That is the threshold. Everything below it worked without any issue, but everything above it… just didn't.'
He had tried, more than once, with different approaches, different mental states, different techniques, but every attempt ended the same way.
A subtle tension as he started to work on the artwork, then something else, a faint, creeping sensation that was difficult to define but that grew more intense the more he completed the artwork until it became something closer to dread.
Alexander frowned slightly as he remembered that strange sensation.
It wasn't overwhelming, but it was enough to disrupt the process, enough to make the creation fail.
He shifted slightly on the bed, his gaze still fixed upward as he asked himself, "…Why?"
He ran through the possibilities, 'Did I lack knowledge? Highly unlikely, as the YGO System's Card Database gave me everything I need to know. Do I lack experience? It's possible, but that is insufficient to explain the reaction I felt...'
Then, slowly, another thought formed in his mind, 'Could it be... that I'm not ready yet...?'
The thought settled quietly in his brain, which quickly started to accelerate and create new connections, 'It isn't a technical limitation but a personal one...'
He remained still for a moment longer, then he muttered, "The Spirits..."
At the same time, he reasoned, 'All the cards that failed were Level 6 and above. It is natural to consider them stronger entities than all the ones I've interacted with until now. They have more presence. More… weight. A higher status...'
His fingers tapped lightly against the bed, and he muttered, "The only possibility is that I'm missing something..."
The conclusion was incomplete, but it was the closest he had; then something suddenly clicked as his mind unconsciously made a new connection.
Alexander's eyes sharpened slightly as he focused inward and called out the YGO System with a thought.
The YGO System responded instantly, making the interface unfold before his very eyes.
With no hesitation, he moved directly to the shop and the next moment, the list appeared.
He ignored most of it and, instead, his attention locked onto the first entries.
__________________________________________________
– Personal Upgrade: Spirit Energy Awakening
• Enables detection of non-physical entities
• Unlocks Ba
Effect:
• Allows interaction with bound entities
• Enables advanced system functions
Cost: 50 DP
– Personal Upgrade: Spirit Capacity Enhancement
• Increases Ba reserves
• Improves Ka stability
Effect:
• Reduces strain from high-output actions
• Improves compatibility with high-tier entities
Cost Scaling:
• First upgrade: 50 DP
• Next: 100 DP
• Next: 200 DP
• Next: 400 DP
• Next: 800 DP
• Next: 1600 DP
___________________________________________________
He stared at them in silence while thinking, 'Fifty DP... It's cheap. Too cheap compared to everything else. And the cost scaling of the second item... in total, they are seven purchases...'
His eyes narrowed slightly as he muttered, "Seven purchase... From Level 6 to Level 12... Seven purchases for seven levels..."
The realisation settled quickly.
These weren't optional; they were foundational, a necessary step, a missing piece from a complete and solid whole.
At this point, Alexander muttered, "So that's it..."
The dread, the limitation, the inability to create higher-level monsters, all of it pointed in the same direction.
He lacked the fundamental capacity, the connection, the compatibility, the power, and those upgrades were the solution.
Alexander exhaled slowly and commented, "Which means I need DP even more than I thought."
It was a simple, clear, and direct conclusion.
His gaze hardened slightly, "And to get DP… I need to duel..."
He paused a bit before the final piece fell into place, and he said, "Which means I need players. A lot of them."
Silence filled the room for a moment, then Alexander sat up as he had already made the decision.
He swung his legs off the bed and stood.
The day had begun, and this time he knew exactly what he needed to do to keep growing.