LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 35: Chapter 35: A school of its own
You Ling vaguely remembered a part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime he had watched as a child.
One of the most iconic moments from the early Yu-Gi-Oh! series, where Yugi Muto used Rain of Mercy to soak Great Moth, then claimed that water conducts electricity, boosting the attack power of a thunder-based monster to turn the tide of the duel, left a deep impression on him.
Back then, when You Ling was still an adorable little boy, watching Yugi pull off this ridiculous yet brilliant move, he couldn't help but exclaim, "That's so cool!"
However, years later, when You Ling personally encountered the Rain of Mercy and Thunder Crash combo, now with proper effects instead of just being a plot device, he didn't feel the same sense of excitement and ease as he did back then.
"This is so painful!"
"Squeak squeak (NMD)!"
[Volcanic Rat] destroyed.
The Accessory of the Underdog, which only increased attack and defense during battle, left Volcanic Rat with far lower defense than Demon's Descent's attack power in non-battle situations. Naturally, it couldn't withstand the effect destruction of Rain of Mercy.
As the monster card Volcanic Rat was destroyed, the B-grade Equip Spell Card Accessory of the Underdog was also destroyed.
However, the real source of You Ling's 'pain' was the Dark Game itself.
Any damage the monsters took in the Dark Game would be reflected on the duelist's body.
"Ugh—!"
The real pain and numbness from the lightning strike coursed through Aisha's body, from the top of her head all the way down to the soles of her feet.
"So this is the real damage of a Dark Game? Playing cards can be this dangerous… Huh? Why does it feel wet down there?"
Aisha immediately answered: "(°Д°) It's the rain! It must be because of the rain, Mr. You Ling!"
"Oh, right."
"Phew, that was close~"
Aisha Yuna Carlos narrowly avoided social death, nearly buried in the back mountain of Fusion Academy.
Thanks to Rain of Mercy, the feeling of being completely drenched was indeed very uncomfortable. But compared to the devastating consequences of losing a Dark Game, this difficulty was nothing more than a light drizzle.
"During the turn Rain of Mercy is activated, I cannot enter the Battle Phase, so I'll end my turn here."
Perhaps to balance the card's powerful destruction effect, Rain of Mercy came with the drawback of preventing the user from attacking during the turn it was activated.
This allowed You Ling, who was left with an empty field, to avoid taking another direct attack from Thunder Crash in the Dark Game.
"If you can't attack, then your Rain of Mercy was basically wasted."
"Wasted?" The black-robed man sneered. "Hehe, making you lose a B-grade rare Equip Spell Card is the greatest value of Rain of Mercy. Without Accessory of the Underdog, you'll never be able to stand against my demons!"
A B-grade rare Equip Spell Card—the black-robed man didn't believe a student like Aisha could pull out a second one.
After all, spell and trap cards crafted using spell points had another characteristic: repetitive crafting costs.
To craft the same spell or trap card a second time, the cost would double. For example, if crafting the first Accessory of the Underdog cost 100 spell points, the second would cost 200, and the third would require a staggering 400 spell points—equivalent to crafting an A-grade forbidden card.
This repetitive crafting cost mechanic meant that most duelists in this world rarely included multiple copies of the same spell or trap card in their decks unless absolutely necessary.
"Oh, then let me make a bold prediction."
You Ling, controlling Aisha's slender fingers, pressed her pale fingertips against the deck in her Spirit Eye, a mysterious smile on her face.
"I predict that this time, the card I draw will be another Accessory of the Underdog."
"Impossible!"
The black-robed man firmly denied it. Even if the little girl had enough spell points to craft a second copy of the B-grade spell card, there was no way she could guarantee drawing it on this exact turn.
"You're just bluffing!"
"Whether I'm bluffing or not, keep your eyes wide open and watch. My turn, draw!"
The moment You Ling drew the card, a golden light seemed to flash in the night as he flipped the card to reveal it to the black-robed man without even looking at it himself.
Equip Spell: Accessory of the Underdog
"Bakana! How can this be?!"
The black-robed man couldn't believe his eyes. After countless Dark Games, he had never seen something so absurd.
"As expected, no one knows about this card's effect."
At the same time, thanks to the black-robed man's reaction, You Ling confirmed something.
This B-grade Equip Spell Card, Accessory of the Underdog, unlike other well-known practical B-grade cards, was unique to Aisha's Spell Catalog—a card specifically designed for weak monsters.
In other words, it was like the exclusive cards for heroes or Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
This meant that, after You Ling's efforts, the Spell Catalog seemed to have acknowledged the weak monsters in Aisha's deck as a legitimate archetype… the Weaklings.
"Hehe, this is the second effect of Accessory of the Underdog—"
[Accessory of the Underdog Equip Spell Card Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can place it on top of your deck.]
The reason You Ling could guarantee that his next draw would be the Equip Spell was because Accessory of the Underdog could return to the top of the deck when sent to the Graveyard.
"An effect that retrieves the Equip Spell… little girl, are you messing with me?"
Feeling his intelligence insulted, the black-robed man's anger rose another notch.
"If you're stupid, don't blame others, old man!"
Maxing out the嘲讽 (taunting), provoking the opponent to make them lose their cool was a tactic You Ling often used in card battles.
The side effect was that, in real-life duels, it often led to physical fights.
"Let's go! I summon Yado Karu in attack position, then equip it with Accessory of the Underdog, and battle!"
[Yado Karu ATK: 300 + 2500 → 2800]
Summoning, equipping, and attacking in one smooth motion, the tofu block materialized in the darkness and charged at the Demon's Descent on the opponent's field.
Although Yado Karu's base attack was 200 points lower than Volcanic Rat, preventing it from reaching the level of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it still surpassed the 2500 ATK of the demon.
Dark Duelist LP: 3500 → 3200
The battle damage was dealt.
However, the enlarged, soft Yado Karu didn't destroy the opponent's monster and send it to the Graveyard.
"Hehe, little girl, did you think the same card would work on me again?"
"Are you some kind of Saint Seiya or something?"
"The special effect of the Ritual Monster Demon's Descent—"
[While this card is on the field, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects unless the opposing monster is also a Ritual Monster.]
Repelling the charging tofu block with a burst of lightning, Demon's Descent remained unharmed, still standing tall on the field.
"Without using a Ritual Monster, you can't defeat Demon's Descent! Can your bunch of weaklings do it?"