"This isn't the first accident caused by using Duel Skateboards!"
"Don't worry, we have plenty of experience with this. Just focus on getting some rest from now on."
"But for now, no more Dueling..."
Hearing unfamiliar voices, Morgan struggled to open his eyes. To his shock, he was no longer in the lively card shop, but in a bright hospital room.
He lay on the bed completely powerless, his right leg suspended in the air in a thick cast, with sharp pains shooting through it from time to time.
'…How did I end up in the hospital?'
His head still felt heavy and fuzzy, though fragments of memory slowly surfaced.
He had been having a Duel at the Yu-Gi-Oh! card shop against a girl player who was running a Trickstar Deck. Out of politeness, Morgan had switched to an extremely toxic Eldlich Deck, opening with both Skill Drain and Imperial Order, completely crushing her and making her cry.
...They cry too easily.
Just as he was about to comfort her, he accidentally stepped on a card and slipped—then everything went dark.
'Did I... break my leg and end up here?'
Morgan felt instantly depressed. Breaking your leg from Dueling... this was practically a Shadow Game!
If people heard about this, they'd die laughing!
But wait, what was that about Duel Skateboards the doctor mentioned?
Confused, Morgan rolled his eyes toward the doctor.
At that moment, a beautiful woman in front of the doctor noticed that he was awake. She immediately cut off the doctor's explanation and hurried over to the bed, gazing at Morgan tenderly.
"Morg, you're finally awake! Don't worry, everything will be fine. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll go get it for you right away!"
"Promise me, please... no more Dueling on Duel Skateboards next time, okay?"
'Who... is this?'
'Also... wasn't I hospitalized because I slipped?'
Morgan was dumbfounded, but quickly, an overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over him from this stranger.
Before he realized it, the words slipped from his mouth, "I... I'm fine..."
Mid-sentence, Morgan suddenly felt something was wrong. Since when had his voice become this high-pitched and soft? Where was his glorious tenor?
It was just a broken leg... what did that have to do with his voice?
Then, as the stiffness in his neck eased a little, he managed to turn his head slightly—only to see a long strand of hair falling across his forehead... and caught a faint whiff of a girl's scent.
Now, Morgan completely panicked. A terrible premonition rose in his heart.
With great effort, he lifted his hand to his chest—and was met with a softness that absolutely should not have been there.
At the same time, reflected from the nearby instrument screen, he caught a glimpse of his own appearance.
It was a somewhat frail-looking, beautiful girl!
'Is... this me?'
His mind went blank. Then suddenly, a splitting headache struck, and a flood of unfamiliar memories surged in.
The girl he saw now... was him, but also not him.
Her name was also Morgan.
A few days earlier, while speed Dueling on a Duel Skateboard, she had lost control due to inexperience and ended up in a coma.
She had never woken up since.
And now, it seemed that the transmigrator Morgan had taken over this body. The girl... was most likely gone for good...
After a silent pause, Morgan sifted through her memories and began to understand this world.
This was a Duel-centric world where everything was decided through Yu-Gi-Oh! card battles—basically just like the anime.
Any disagreement? Duel!
The winner takes everything. The loser... falls into ruin.
Because of this, everyone started Duelist training as students.
After rounds of selection and trials, only true elites qualified to become certified Duelists.
Those who failed were condemned to the bottom of society with no chance of climbing back up.
Morgan was part of this Dueling wave, currently attending the middle division of Duel Academy.
His grades... were a complete disaster.
Constantly teetering on the edge of expulsion.
Even though the original owner of this body had loved Dueling, she had zero talent. No matter how hard she tried, her results never improved. Over time, she became the student teachers gave up on.
"Morg... if you really can't hold on, just give up. Even if you don't become a Duelist, you can still do normal work like Mom."
The woman in front of him was her mother, Belle.
Belle also had no Duel talent and worked as an ordinary seamstress. It was a stable but futureless life.
Looking at Belle's face, a wave of warmth rose in Morgan's heart. Having absorbed all of the girl's memories, he felt deeply familiar with this woman.
At the same time, because of the memory fusion, he swiftly accepted his new identity.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
No matter what, things couldn't go back. From now on, he was this world's Morgan.
Just then, a cold mechanical voice echoed—In his mind, a scene every card player would recognize appeared vividly.
[Personality fusion complete!]
[Strongest Female Duelist System now bound!]
[Congratulations to the host for receiving a newbie gift: Trickstar Deck *1]
"?!"
...
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