NOVEL WEB Chapter 58: TST [58]
"Ladies and gentlemen, the exhilarating opening match has begun! Let's introduce the two duelists!"
"On the left, someone most of you already know—the Saint King Club rookie, Dorian!"
"Due to his Deck, his codename is Fossil!"
"He reached Gold rank faster than anyone in Saint King Club's history and is a top contender for this year's championship!"
As the host hyped him up, Dorian's portrait appeared on the big screen, triggering cheers from the crowd.
Spotlights converged on him, forming a blinding pillar of light.
"And on the right, we have an independent duelist! All we know about this duelist is her name—Morgan. Nothing else is on record!"
"Regardless, she does have a mysterious codename: the Witch!"
The audience immediately buzzed with excitement. They stared at Morgan's face on the screen and whispered amongst themselves.
"Witch? That's such a weird codename."
"She's actually kinda cute. Looks pure, doesn't match the name at all."
"Not just her face… her figure doesn't scream 'witch' either."
"Hope this duel isn't over too fast. I paid scalper prices for this ticket!"
Meanwhile, back in the Duel Academy Middle Division classrooms, every student was glued to the screen.
Morgan was their only school representative in the Junior Division. Naturally, her classmates—especially the boys—were extremely invested.
Kairos, who had chosen Morgan as his opponent for his Graduation Duel, watched with keen interest. He'd always wondered whether her strength was as deeply hidden as the rumors said.
"What kind of dumb codename is that? Morgan's not a witch!"
Jade grumbled from her desk.
To her, Morgan wasn't some spooky witch. She was a saint… Jade could practically feel maternal energy radiating off her.
"You're right. She's not a witch. She's a goddess," Isla said earnestly. In her eyes, Morgan deserved to be on the cover of a holy text.
Of course, Morgan had no idea what bizarre fantasies her classmates were conjuring up. She was simply puzzled by the sudden appearance of this codename.
However, when she saw Viviana at the commentary booth, she figured it out immediately. If anyone had the time and flair to assign her a nickname, it had to be her.
Still, Morgan didn't care what she was called. Her focus was entirely on the opponent in front of her.
"Alright, everyone! The countdown is nearly over!"
"The Junior Division opening match of the Duelist League starts... now!"
As the host finished speaking, fireworks erupted around the Duel Stage. The match officially began!
Both Duel Disks activated, and the duelists drew five cards.
"Duel!"
A coin etched with a White Dragon appeared on the screen and flipped.
The coin toss determined that Dorian would go first.
"My turn! Draw!"
Dorian yanked a card from his Deck and grinned.
"Too bad I got first turn. That means no attacks yet. You're lucky. Don't disappoint me, alright?"
Morgan simply smiled without responding.
"I Normal Summon [Shell Knight] in Attack Position!"
A monster made entirely of shells appeared on the field. Its arms snapped like pincers.
[Shell Knight] Level 4│EARTH│Rock│0 ATK / 2000 DEF
"When this card is Summoned, I can switch it to Defense Position and deal 500 damage to my opponent."
Shell Knight slowly shifted to Defense Position and launched a shard of shell at Morgan, shaving off 500 LP.
"Nice! Using [Shell Knight] for early burn damage—a classic Dorian opener!"
"However, with no monsters in the opponent's Graveyard, Dorian can't yet summon high-Level monsters. He'll likely set up defenses next!"
"But what will the Witch do in response?!"
The atmosphere was electric, both in the stadium and the classrooms.
"From that opener, Dorian's using a Fossil Deck," Isla said solemnly.
"Fossil Deck?" Jade asked, unfamiliar.
"Yeah. It's a Fusion Deck. Not many use it, but it has one unique strength—it can fuse using monsters from the opponent's Graveyard."
"From the opponent's Graveyard?!"
Jade's eyes widened.
"Exactly. That's why Dorian didn't want to go first. Sure, he can fuse with his own monsters, but that wastes resources and misses the chance to exploit his opponent's Graveyard."
"Oh... I see," Jade murmured. Then her eyes snapped open. "Wait, does Morgan know that?!"
"She probably does... right?" Isla hesitated, unsure.
On stage, Dorian wasn't done yet. First-turn attacks were off the table, but he could still prep for future plays.
"I activate the Spell Card [Foolish Burial] from my hand!"
"I send 1 monster from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
"I send [Weathering Soldier] to the Graveyard!"
He slid the card into his Graveyard Zone. This move not only set up his Graveyard but also let him fetch a key Spell Card.
"I activate the effect of [Weathering Soldier]!"
"When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can add 1 [Fossil Fusion] from my Deck to my hand!"
"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
The moment he added [Fossil Fusion] to his hand, the commentator's excitement spiked.
"Dorian just drew his ace Spell Card!"
"[Fossil Fusion]—the card that lets him use his opponent's Graveyard monsters as Fusion Materials!"
"How will the Witch Morgan deal with it?!"
Morgan eyed the card in Dorian's hand. [Fossil Fusion] was indeed powerful—especially dangerous for decks that rely on sending cards to the Graveyard.
But...
She smiled.
Her Eldlich never needed the Graveyard.
"My turn. Draw!"
...
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