Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

The Holy Land of Spirits, located at the very center of the continent, is a place where the richest summoning mana in the land gathers.

Governed jointly by the three major academies, it serves as the graduation internship site for third-year students about to graduate.

The graduation internship is brutally demanding, requiring students to engage in high-intensity ranked duels every day.

The pressure on the students is immense, as each duel is fought with the honor of their academy and the superiority of their respective summoning methods at stake.

You Ling: "Determining the strongest summoning method on the continent? That's quite interesting. I wonder which summoning method will come out on top."

Usually, You Ling showed little interest in most things, but this time, his rare display of curiosity gave Aisha the perfect opportunity to win his favor.

"Senior, I want to know, which academy won the battles between the three summoning methods?"

"I want to know too!" Ilin, who had been in a state of excitement since earlier, chimed in.

"If you're asking which academy has won the most, that's a bit awkward for me to answer."

Ilena's smile was subtle.

Kaiba, however, didn't mince words. "From the founding of the academy until now, Fusion Academy has won the least. The academy that has won the most and is considered the strongest is probably XYZ Academy, which uses Xyz Summoning."

Xyz Summoning is the most superior summoning method!

This outcome was something You Ling hadn't expected.

If Fusion Academy has won the least and Xyz Summoning has won the most, then the overall ranking of the three summoning methods should be Xyz > Synchro > Fusion.

Shocking! Fusion has become the weakest summoning method.

"But this year might be different. This year, Fusion Academy has that senior, Aleister, representing them."

Even though she was traumatized by being utterly defeated last year, this also showed that Ilena highly recognized Aleister's strength.

Kaiba added, "And according to rumors, this year, Synchro Academy has also produced some incredible duelists. For example, there's a Synchro deck that can summon ancient swords from the Eastern Kingdom, and it's practically unbeatable among the third-year students at Synchro Academy."

The stars of anticipation in Ilin's eyes were practically overflowing, shining brightly.

"So, the battles between the three summoning methods in the Holy Land this year are definitely worth watching. Maybe that senior Aleister can really restore the glory of Fusion Summoning. Ugh, I really want to go watch!"

Ilena sighed regretfully. "Unfortunately, watching isn't possible. The Holy Land of Spirits is the most mysterious place on the continent. Only the academy head, a few professors, and the graduating students are allowed to enter each year."

"Ah, only graduating students can go?" Ilin, counting on her fingers, didn't hide her disappointment.

"I'm so jealous that you seniors can go next year. Little Ai and I still have to wait two more years."

You Ling couldn't help but silently complain that this girl's ambitions were way too big. She's only a first-year and already wants to get involved in that level of dueling.

With Ilin's current strength, going there would be less about getting beaten up and more about being utterly annihilated.

Although You Ling had transmigrated here with the goal of becoming the King of Games, looking at the card power system of the Elven Continent, becoming the King of Games wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.

It required patience, steadily accumulating spell points and cards, trying to summon stronger monsters as much as possible, and gradually improving the strength of the deck.

Only then could one advance to the higher stages of dueling on the Elven Continent.

And one day, all the persistence and effort would bear fruit, allowing one to reach the pinnacle of this world.

…

After chatting a bit more, the four of them declined Ilena's invitation to grab a meal together, and Kaiba Seto left first.

"Senior Kaiba, how should I put it? I used to think she was cold, strict, and very hard to get along with, but now she seems pretty nice."

Through their first interaction, Aisha's impression of Kaiba had greatly improved.

It turned out that Kaiba, the 'eldest son' of the Seto ducal family with a complicated identity, wasn't as aloof and unapproachable as she had seemed during her duel with Kevin.

"By the way, you're Aisha Yuna Carlos, right…"

As she was about to leave, Kaiba turned her gaze to Aisha.

"Yes, Senior."

"Then I should warn you."

The Kaiba who had just earned Aisha's goodwill a moment ago now had icy cold eyes.

"Don't think that disgracing the Seto family will be let off so easily. I will definitely settle this debt."

Shiver——!

Aisha, along with her hair strand, trembled from the cold chill.

"Senior Kaiba is still so scary after all."

The slight sense of closeness Aisha had felt toward Kaiba vanished in an instant.

Ilena helplessly patted Aisha's trembling shoulder.

"Kaiba's actually a good person. Her only flaw is that she holds grudges too much. And let me tell you a little secret… she's also a bit of a brother complex…"

Whoosh!!

Before she could finish, a hard card came flying from a distance, grazing Ilena's forehead and cutting off a few strands of her silver-gray bangs.

This was the other use of Quick-Play Spell Cards that Teacher Erin had mentioned—throwing them as weapons.

Immediately understanding the message, Ilena shut her mouth and, to protect herself, pulled her wide witch's hat down over the direction Kaiba had left.

"Tch, such a petty person!"

Aisha: "Mr. You Ling, you've been so quiet since earlier."

You Ling: "I've been thinking about something."

Putting aside Kaiba's declaration of war at the last moment, today's conversation had given You Ling the most useful information since his transmigration.

It wasn't any tangible improvement, but a glimpse into where the higher levels of dueling in this world were headed.

After thinking it over for a night, by the next day, You Ling had already started planning the King of Games training program for the girl, Aisha Yuna Carlos.

From what You Ling knew so far, the environment of 'Axe Warriors' clashing could only last until the end of the first year.

If one didn't prepare for danger while living in peace, more troubles would inevitably arise.

This was also the message the academy wanted to convey to the first-year students through the inter-grade challenge—please try to experiment with higher-level duel tactics.

The first step was to plan the spell points and decide which magic and trap cards to craft. Not only did they need to consider the current strength of the deck, but also the future usability of the crafted cards.

If they could secure victories in the weekly practical tests, with 30 base credits and an average of 20 bonus credits per win, by the end of the first year, there would be 20 more practical tests. Winning all of them could earn a total of around 1000 credits.

With 1000 credits, Aisha could even have the chance to craft A-grade cards worth up to 400 spell points, adding a couple of formerly banned cards to her deck.

Of course, all of this was based on the assumption that Aisha could win every practical test.

It had to be said, this was more difficult and grind-heavy than any card game You Ling had ever played.

Fortunately, the trivial daily tasks didn't require You Ling's attention. Attending classes, homework, and even written exams were all handled by Aisha, ensuring that they wouldn't lose credits due to poor academic performance.

After a few more weeks of peaceful life, a strange rumor suddenly began circulating within Fusion Academy.

The content of the rumor also greatly interested You Ling.

Legend has it that the cards of the three Egyptian God Cards have appeared in the academy's back mountain.

"Fake, right?"

"Real. I have chat logs as proof."