The Grimoire Tower was a colossal structure, its circular walls lined with thousands upon thousands of bookshelves, each one packed with ancient, leather-bound grimoires. The air hummed with latent magic.
Today was Grimoire Acceptance Day, and the tower's vast floor was a sea of eager young adults. The din of hundreds of simultaneous conversations echoed off the stone, creating a constant, roaring buzz.
Jolting awake within the massive crowd was a young man with tousled brown hair and piercing blue eyes. His disoriented blinking did little to clear the confusion, and his commoner's clothes, cheap and worn, stood out among the crowd.
"I'm so excited!"
"Me too!"
"Finally, we're adults!"
"I can't wait to join the Magic Knights!"
The chatter was deafening. The young man winced, his ears aching from the noise pressing in on him from all sides.
'What is going on?' he thought, a wave of panic rising in his chest. 'Where am I?'
As he looked up, his eyes were drawn to a figure standing on a podium that floated high above the crowd. It was the Tower Master.
A magically amplified voice, clear and powerful, boomed throughout the cavernous tower. It originated from a shimmering artifact hovering near the Tower Master.
"Now," the Master declared, "begins the ceremony of awarding the grimoires!"
'Huh?' The young man's confusion deepened. 'Magic? This has to be a dream.'
As the words faded, a spectacular transformation began. The grimoires on the shelves started to glow, pulsing with ethereal light. One by one, they lifted into the air, swooping and diving through the tower like a flock of luminous birds as they searched for their destined masters.
'What the hell is going on here?' He watched in disbelief as the teenagers around him cheered, their faces alight with joy and anticipation.
The grimoires began to land, hovering respectfully before their chosen recipients.
'Is this some kind of ritual?' A knot of worry tightened in his stomach. Just then, a single grimoire, radiating a pure, white light, broke from the swirling masses and floated directly in front of him.
He looked around frantically, seeing others confidently reach out to touch their books. Swallowing his fear and confusion, he hesitantly extended his own hand.
As his fingers made contact with the cover, the white glow of the grimoire subsided, solidifying into a book with a sleek, unfamiliar design. His heart raced with confusion. He cautiously cracked it open.
Recognizing its user, the magic on the page transformed itself for comfort and clarity. The complex incantations dissolved, reforming as a shimmering, blue holographic screen that hovered conveniently before him.
[ Dueling Magic System - Version 1.0 ]
[ Initialized ]
[ User Registered ]
[ Welcome, Seto Kaiba ]
Text and icons populated the screen, displaying three distinct options: [ DUEL ], [ DECK ], and [ SHOP ].
The appearance of the interface was bewildering enough, but the name displayed sent a fresh jolt of disbelief through him.
'I'm not Seto Kaiba,' he thought, his mind reeling. 'And why does this look exactly like the Master Duel interface?' The coincidence was too strange to ignore. Pushing the identity crisis aside for a moment, his curiosity got the better of him. He focused on the [ DUEL ] option.
The moment he made his choice, the grimoire dissolved into a stream of light and data. The energy swirled around his arm, morphing and solidifying. In an instant, the book was gone.
A futuristic gauntlet snapped into place on his forearm, a perfect replica of Seto Kaiba's Duel Disk from Dark Side of Dimensions. Simultaneously, its accompanying communications device materialized around his left eye and ear.
A hushed silence fell over the people nearby, followed by a wave of astonished murmurs.
"Woah! Did you see that?"
"What kind of magic is that?"
"It must be incredibly powerful for a grimoire to change its form!"
Hearing their awestruck whispers, a wave of immediate regret washed over him. He had activated this strange power in front of everyone, and now he was the center of attention.
The Tower Master's voice interrupted the murmurs, sharp and clear. "Spells are not to be tested here. Refrain immediately."
Their eyes met across the crowd. Under that intense stare, he willed the device away. The duel disk and visor flickered and vanished, the grimoire returning to its normal state in his grasp.
A tense silence hung in the air for a moment before the Tower Master spoke again. "The ceremony is now concluded, as everyone has received their grimoire. Whatever path you choose, take care of your grimoire, for it is now your lifelong partner."
With that final advice, the Tower Master descended from the floating podium and retreated toward his chambers. Just before entering, he called out one last time, "You are dismissed."
The silence instantly shattered into a wave of movement and excited chatter. The new grimoire-wielders began streaming towards the exits, their voices buzzing with plans for the future and dreams of joining the Magic Knights.
But the young man stood motionless, clutching his grimoire tightly.
What am I going to do now? The question echoed in his mind. He was utterly alone in an unknown world.
A spark of determination cut through his anxiety. If this is the world I think it is, then maybe this is doable.
He finally left the Grimoire Tower and began to walk aimlessly through the town, with no destination in mind. As he took in the surroundings, his amazement grew. Half-timbered houses lined cobblestone streets, and the air smelled of baked bread and forge smoke.
This place looks exactly like a medieval fantasy town. I should stop sightseeing and start gathering information.
Another, more unsettling thought suddenly struck him. Wait, how do I understand their language? I didn't even notice until now. He exhaled slowly, deciding to accept the inexplicable. Let's just blame it on transmigration magic.
Spotting a local townsman, he approached him. "Excuse me, a quick question, what town is this?"
"Nairn," the man replied, giving him a curious look.
"And what realm is it a part of?" the young man pressed.
"The Commoner Realm," the man said, scratching his temple in confusion at such a basic question from a fellow commoner.
"Thanks," the young man nodded slightly and continued on his way.
"What a weirdo," the townsman muttered as he walked away.
As the young man continued his aimless walk, a patrol of Magic Knights passed by, their distinctive robes confirming his suspicions about the world he was in.
A moment later, he caught his reflection in a shop window and froze. On some level, he'd known from the start that everything was different, the place, his body. But knowing it and seeing a stranger's face, the face of Seto Kaiba, looking back at him were two entirely different things.
'Now that I get a good look... this is the exact appearance of Seto Kaiba,' he realized, a disbelieving laugh escaping his lips. 'I never expected this. I'm taller, and frankly, more handsome. I guess I can forget my old name. With this dueling magic, it's only fitting and ironic that I become Seto Kaiba.'
After walking for what felt like hours, he finally spotted an empty bench and gratefully took a seat, his legs aching.
'I'm now certain this is the world of Black Clover,' he thought, organizing his knowledge. 'The Magic Knights exam must be about six months away. But the critical question is: am I in the era before Asta, during his rise, or after his battles?'
A wave of anxiety washed over him. Being in an era before or after Asta's journey meant he had no foreknowledge of the major threats, which was incredibly dangerous. Yet, even being in Asta's time was perilous, with Devils running amok. He was operating with a severe lack of information.
He sighed heavily, the weight of his situation pressing down on him. "What should I do now?" he muttered to the empty street. "I don't even have a place to sleep."
Bored and curious, he finally gave in and opened the grimoire. A blue holographic display flickered to life, humming softly. His eyes scanned the menu before landing on [DECK]. A tap confirmed his suspicion: completely empty. Next, he navigated to the [SHOP].
The shop was sparse, with only a single offering: the [Randomized Pack]. The interface was a perfect replica of Master Duel, right down to the two purchase options. [1 Pack - Free] glowed invitingly, while [10 Packs - 50,000 Yuls] sat below it, a stark reminder of the system's potential cost.
"Of course it costs money," he grumbled, feeling a pang of old anxiety. "I finally beat my gambling habit, and now the universe is teasing me with a digital slot machine. Sad."
Shaking his head, he tapped the free pack. A shower of light erupted from the screen, resolving into five facedown cards hovering in the air. The thrill of the reveal, a feeling he knew all too well, began to bubble up.
He took a steadying breath and flipped the first card. Spin Turn. A generic Trap Card. "A start, I guess," he sighed.
The next card revealed a monstrous dragon. Mementotlan Twin Dragon - A Fusion Monster.
"Okay, cool! A Fusion!" The excitement was short-lived. His face fell. "But... how am I supposed to summon this?"
The third card was The Gift of Greed. "Seriously? What is this trash?" he muttered, reading the effect. "Let my opponent draw two cards for free? This isn't Yugioh anymore."
Hope dwindling, he revealed the fourth card: Duel Link Dragon, The Duel Dragon. A Link Monster. His weak smile vanished entirely. A Link Monster without any other monsters to use as material was just a picture.
With a sense of impending disappointment, he turned the final card. Eidos the Underworld Monarch.
"Fuck! A Tribute Summon!" he yelled to the empty room.
As the five useless cards faded away, he was hit with a wave of bitter nostalgia. This was the cruel hook of gambling: the promise of greatness, delivered almost exclusively in the form of heartbreaking junk.
He backed out of the shop and navigated to the [DECK] section. He proceeded to build a deck, throwing in every card he owned. But as he went to save it, a pop-up window appeared with an information icon. The header read: [Dueling Magic Rules].
His eyes scanned the text, and his heart sank with each line.
Dueling Magic Rules
1. Standard Yu-Gi-Oh! Rules Apply Mostly.
· Turns: You may act indefinitely. However, certain actions have a cooldown period: Normal Summoning, activating Monster Effects (unless otherwise specified), using Field Spell abilities, and activating Normal/Continuous Trap Cards abilities.
· Trap Cards: Must be Set on the field first. After being Set, they require a cooldown period before they can be activated.
· Drawing: For the user, the standard rules apply. However, if you activate a card that makes your opponent draw, they draw mana instead of cards.
2. The Mana Upkeep: All monsters on your field require a constant flow of mana to remain summoned. The stronger the monster, the greater the mana drain. The same applies to active Spell and Trap Cards. If you are knocked out or run out of mana, all your monsters and sustained cards dissipate immediately.
3. Deck Limits: There is no upper limit to your deck size. However, the user must be strong enough to handle the magical burden. A larger deck consumes more mana to maintain and operate.
As he finished reading, a cold dread washed over him. The reality of his situation became terrifyingly clear. With the pathetic collection of unsummonable monsters he'd just pulled from his pack, he was utterly fucked.