“Mark my words, the top spot in this unified examination is practically gift-wrapped for Wang Ping from First High!” “I just checked the live feed.
Wang Ping actually created a Four-Star Legacy-level Inferno Knight!
That’s already on par with last year’s top scorer in the Cangling City college entrance exams!” “First High is definitely washing away our past humiliations today!” “Oh, please.
Look at you all, practically drooling over yourselves,” a student from Second High sneered, completely unwilling to let First High monopolize the spotlight.
“Newsflash: our Bei Hanyun also forged a Four-Star Magic Card, and her Water Azure Beast has even higher base quality!” “So keep dreaming.
Second High is taking first place!” “Hey, hey, don’t count out Third High just yet.” A few students from Third High chimed in, desperately trying to keep their school relevant.
Even though their overall strength lagged far behind the top two academies, they refused to lose a war of words.
The plaza outside the examination space devolved into a chaotic shouting match, nobody willing to yield an inch.
Suddenly, a completely unhinged comment floated across the public discussion board, instantly derailing the heated debate.
“Quick, switch to Luke’s feed from Third High!
Holy crap, I think I’m in love!” The squabbling students paused.
What the hell?
This was a brutal combat examination, what was with the sudden romance?
And wait, Luke was a guy’s name—were they seriously into that?
Despite their confusion, the sheer absurdity of the comment piqued their curiosity.
Hundreds of eyes shifted toward Luke’s broadcast screen.
Silence fell over the plaza for exactly one second.
Then, absolute pandemonium.
“Holy crap!
Dark Magician Girl?
Is this what first love feels like?!” “Mom, cancel my blind dates!
I’ve found my goddess!
How does a Magic Card look this perfect?!” “Get in line, you degenerates!
She’s my waifu now!” “How much did you drink to be hallucinating like this?
Back off, she’s mine!” The crowd, initially just looking for some juicy drama, completely lost their minds the moment they laid eyes on the Dark Magician Girl.
How could such an impossibly cute Magic Card exist in this brutal world?
“Old Xiao, get over here right now!
An actual angel just descended!” Word spread like wildfire across the plaza.
Thousands of gazes locked onto Luke’s screen, entirely ignoring the supposed prodigies from the other schools.
Inside the examination space, the battle raged on.
The moment they materialized, three Forest Wolves locked onto the Dark Magician Girl.
Operating with the lethal synchronicity typical of pack beasts, they instantly fanned out into a triangular hunting formation.
Their charging speed was terrifying.
Given the cramped dimensions of the arena, it took less than a blink of an eye for the trio of wolves to close the gap, stopping a mere ten meters away from the blonde mage.
The alpha wolf leading the charge unleashed a furious roar, a sonic buff that visibly spiked the aura of the entire pack.
Capitalizing on the momentum, the two flanking wolves lunged into the air, their claws glowing with razor-sharp wind energy.
Wind Rend Claw!
With their attack power amplified by the alpha’s roar, the flanking strikes perfectly sealed off all of the Dark Magician Girl’s escape routes.
It was a flawless, lethal combination.
Yet, the blonde mage didn’t even blink.
A confident, playful smile graced her lips as she twirled her staff.
“Dark Magic!” A surge of pure, dark-attributed magical energy erupted from the tip of her staff, expanding outward in a devastating shockwave.
The dark magic washed right through the airborne Forest Wolves.
There was no blood.
No agonizing howls.
In a fraction of a second, the three ferocious beasts simply dissolved into fine dust, scattering into the simulated wind.
If it weren’t for the few glowing crafting materials left behind on the arena floor, it would have seemed as though the wolves had never existed at all.
“Whoa!” The spectators outside the space erupted into fresh shouts of disbelief.
“She hits like a truck!
How is a Magic Card that beautiful also that violently overpowered?
That’s just illegal!” “Good heavens…
the combined combat power of a Forest Wolf pack easily rivals a Two-Star ordinary fierce beast, and she just deleted them from existence?” “Wait, does that mean Luke’s Dark Magician Girl is already hitting above the Two-Star threshold?” “Hell yes!
Third High might actually have a dark horse this year!
I’ve been sick of First and Second High acting so high and mighty anyway!” Although the Dark Magician Girl had only launched two attacks so far, both were incredibly clean, decisive instant kills.
The previously suppressed Third High students were now practically vibrating with hype.
“Hmph!
It’s only the first two rounds.
Trash mobs,” a First High student scoffed, trying to hide his own shock.
“They’ll definitely get exposed later.
Don’t get cocky, Third High!” “Exactly!
Wang Ping instantly killed the three Forest Wolves in his second round too.
He’s leagues ahead of your Luke.” “Same goes for our Bei Hanyun.
She’s already starting the third round!” The elites from First and Second High simply couldn’t stomach Third High’s sudden surge of arrogance.
Sure, the Dark Magician Girl was breathtakingly gorgeous, but she wasn’t from their school, forcing them to stubbornly dig their heels in.
Without realizing it, the entire student body had narrowed their focus down to just three live streams: Luke, Bei Hanyun, and Wang Ping.
A collective premonition settled over the crowd.
The ultimate champion of this unified examination was undoubtedly going to be one of these three.
Right on cue, the third wave of fierce beasts spawned simultaneously in the arenas of Luke, Wang Ping, and Bei Hanyun.
“Still sending One-Star beasts at me?” In his isolated arena, Wang Ping sneered at the incoming horde.
“Even if the system bumped their base quality up to the Legacy-level, against my Inferno Knight, they’re nothing but kindling.
First place is mine.” Before he even finished his arrogant declaration, his heavily armored Inferno Knight had already cleaved through the attackers, reducing them to ash.
At the exact same moment, the Water Azure Beast effortlessly crushed its own opponents.
Standing behind her summon, Bei Hanyun maintained a mask of absolute frost.
She didn’t waste breath talking to herself like Wang Ping, but the burning competitive fire in her eyes made her intentions perfectly clear.
Meanwhile, back in Luke’s arena.
“Master, what’s on your mind?” Having effortlessly vaporized the latest wave of beasts, the Dark Magician Girl—Mana—took advantage of the brief lull before the next spawn.
She skipped over to Luke, hooked her arms around his elbow, and leaned in close, looking up at him with wide, curious eyes.
“Damn it all!” Outside the arena, thousands of viewers watched this unfold, their eyes practically bleeding with sheer jealousy.
Gender didn’t even matter; the collective envy was suffocating.
Mana possessed a radiant, universal charm.
Her bright, innocent face contrasted wildly with her explosive, perfectly proportioned figure.
Calling her the absolute pinnacle of pure allure was an understatement.
Watching their newly crowned goddess act so proactively affectionate—even if Luke was technically her creator and master—was a bitter pill for the crowd to swallow.
It was absolute PDA overload.
“I was just thinking about whether I can forge some equipment for you next,” Luke replied, snapping out of his thoughts as he registered the soft weight pressing against his arm.
While Mana’s current magical attire provided a passive boost to her casting speed, it didn’t offer any heavy, direct combat buffs.
In the original Yu-Gi-Oh!
worldview, Monster Cards were only one piece of the puzzle.
Spell Cards and Trap Cards were absolutely indispensable components of a true duelist’s arsenal.
The Dark Magician Girl was already a powerhouse, but Luke naturally wanted to push her ceiling even higher.
This was especially true because Mana possessed the Dark Magic Inheritance skill.
This unique trait allowed her to be treated as a Dark Magician in terms of card cooperation, which exponentially increased her tactical versatility and the pool of support cards she could use.
“Equipment?” Mana blinked, looking down at her blue and pink outfit.
“Do you already have something in mind, Master?” “I have a general concept, but I’ll need to run some tests to see if the world’s laws will accept it.
The parameters might require a few tweaks.” Luke smiled.
He fully intended to use his system’s simulated construction—the hidden ability of illusion construction—to prototype his next game-breaking idea.
[Akarin’s Note: Enjoying the story?