NOVEL WEB Chapter 29: DSMW [29]
The Sacred Ground of Spirits sat at the center of the continent, where the richest summoning magic in all the land converged.
It was jointly governed by the three major academies and served as the site of graduation internships for third-year students.
Those internships were harsh. Every day brought high-intensity ranked Duels.
The pressure on students was immense—each Duel fought not only for personal pride, but for the honor of their academy and the strength of their chosen summoning method.
Miles muttered, "To decide the strongest summoning method on the continent… Now that sounds interesting. I wonder which will come out on top."
Usually uninterested in most things, Miles's rare curiosity didn't go unnoticed by Aisha, who immediately jumped at the chance to impress him.
"Senpai, I want to know—which academy usually wins the summoning wars?!"
"Me too!" Irene had been in a hyper state since earlier.
"If you're asking which academy wins the most… that's awkward." Irena gave a sheepish smile.
Kaima didn't hold back. "Fusion Academy has the fewest wins since its founding. The top performer is XYZ Academy, the school specializing in Xyz Summoning."
Xyz Summoning—considered the most powerful method of all.
Miles hadn't expected that result.
If Fusion Academy had the fewest wins and XYZ the most, then the hierarchy was likely: Xyz > Synchro > Fusion.
Shocking. Fusion had become the weakest summoning method.
"But this year's different. This year, Fusion Academy has Alester-senpai representing them."
Even if she'd been left traumatized by him last year, Irena undoubtedly recognized Alester's strength.
Kaima added, "And rumor has it that Synchron Academy has a few terrifying new talents too. For instance, a Synchro Deck based on ancient Eastern sword arts—no one in the Synchron third-year class can match it."
Stars of awe sparkled in Irene's eyes.
"So the battle between the three summoning types this year is really worth watching… Maybe Alester-senpai really can restore Fusion's glory! Damn, I wanna see it so bad!"
"Unfortunately, spectators aren't allowed." Irena sighed. "The Sacred Ground is the most secretive place on the continent. Only the headmasters, a few professors, and the graduating students are allowed in."
"Ah, only graduates?" Irene counted on her fingers, her disappointment plain.
"So jealous of you upperclassmen… You get to go next year. Ai-chan and I still have to wait two years."
Miles muttered internally. This girl was way too bold. She was only a first-year and already dreaming of joining a summit-level Duel.
With her current power, she wouldn't just lose—she'd be vaporized.
Sure, Miles had come to this world intending to become King of Games.
But given the Elves' Continent Duel power system, that was no short-term goal.
Patience was vital. He needed to steadily earn Magic Points, acquire new cards, test powerful summons, and gradually strengthen the Deck.
Only then could he ascend to the higher tiers of this world's Duelists.
And someday, make all that effort bloom into victory—reaching the peak.
…
The four chatted for a while longer. After turning down Irena's invitation for a meal, Kaima was the first to take her leave.
"Kaima-senpai…" Aisha murmured. "I thought she'd be cold and strict—someone hard to approach. But she seems… kinda nice?"
That first exchange had already changed Aisha's impression.
Turns out, the Seth family's eldest son wasn't the unapproachable elite she'd seemed to be during the Duel with Kevin.
"Right. Your name is Aisha Yuna Carlos, isn't it…"
Just as she was about to leave, Kaima turned her gaze to Aisha.
"That's me, Senpai."
"Then I'll say this once."
A moment ago, Kaima had left a good impression. Now her eyes turned ice cold.
"Don't think you'll get away with disgracing the Seth family. I will settle that score."
Shiver—!
Aisha trembled, ahoge and all, beneath that frosty aura.
"So scary after all… Kaima-senpai…"
Whatever goodwill Aisha had just developed vanished in an instant.
Irena patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"Kaima's actually a good person. Her only flaw is… she holds serious grudges. Oh, and… she's a total sis-con."
WHOOSH!!
Before she could finish, a stiff card came flying from afar, narrowly missing Irena's forehead—and slicing off a few strands of her silver-gray bangs.
As Miss Erin once said, Quick-Play Spells had another use: throwable weapons.
Irena immediately fell silent and pulled her oversized witch's hat down over her face to shield herself.
"Tch. Stingy."
Aisha said in her mind space, "Mr. Miles, you've been unusually quiet."
"Just thinking."
Kaima's closing threat aside, today's conversation gave Miles the most valuable insight since arriving in this world. Not some concrete upgrade—but a glimpse of where high-level Duels in this world were headed.
After thinking about it all night, Miles began drafting the Duel King Development Plan—for the girl named Aisha Yuna Carlos.
So far, the "axe-warrior meta" might last through the end of the first year.
But if they got complacent now, real trouble was bound to come.
That, perhaps, was what the grade challenge match had been trying to teach: try aiming for more advanced Duel tactics.
First step: plan out Magic Point usage. What Spells and Traps to craft? Not just for current Deck strength—but for future adaptability.
If Aisha could win every weekly combat test, she'd earn 30 base credits plus about 20 bonus credits per test.
That meant 20 more tests before the semester ended—potentially 1000 credits total.
That would let her craft high-cost A-rank Spells (up to 400 Magic Points)—even add two former meta-banned cards into her Deck.
Of course, all of that assumed Aisha won every test.
It was, frankly, harder and grindier than any card game Miles had ever played.
Fortunately, he didn't have to handle the side quests: classwork, homework, and written exams were all Aisha's domain. That meant no credit loss due to grades.
And so, a few stable weeks passed… until a strange rumor began circulating within Fusion Academy.
The rumor that caught even Miles's attention:
Legendary God Cards had appeared behind the Academy!
"Fake, right?"
"It's real. I've got the chat logs to prove it."
...
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