Xue Lang had just thrown away over a thousand Crystal Stones with nothing to show for it, and even the shameless merchant Youyu felt a bit of pity for him. He thought maybe Xue Lang really did have terrible luck, and he was almost tempted to secretly adjust the odds a bit.
After all, making someone so frustrated they quit the game wouldn't be good...
Xue Lang, with a dark expression, pulled out another thousand Crystal Stones.
"Let's go again!"
The players in the shop burst out laughing and started egging him on.
"Hey, do you think Brother Lang was actually hired by the officials as a plant? He's dumped thousands of Stones and still wants to keep going?"
"How could a plant fail so many times?"
"Who knows..."
"Golden light! There's a special effect! This pack's got something!"
"Whoa, it's 'Wall of Disruption'!"
"Damn, he really is a plant!"
"Hahaha!" Xue Lang laughed heartily with his hands on his hips, feeling that the thousands of Crystal Stones he'd spent were worth it.
Crystal Stones? Those don't matter anymore.
Xue Lang had long discovered the secret to this game. As long as you're shameless enough to sell your conscience, Crystal Stones actually come pretty quickly.
The other players watched behind him, envious and bitter.
In the physical card environment, Wall of Disruption was considered a useless card by serious players, with no opportunity to shine. But in the current game environment, it's quite powerful...
"Damn, I want to be a Hero too!"
"Not everyone can be a Hero~ I can't even spend money if I wanted to..."
"They'll release it eventually, right?" one player speculated. "Games always have to update, so the official Hero series will definitely be released someday. Otherwise, why keep teasing players with ads without releasing it to make money?"
When Youyu heard this, he thought, this kid's got potential.
Indeed. By now, Xue Lang's role as advertisement has almost run its course; players' desire to become Heroes has reached its peak.
Now all the players are sharpening their knives, waiting for the Hero series to be released. Their Crystal Stones are burning a hole in their pockets; it's about time to release it and rake in the profits.
Plus, Youyu could also guess that if they didn't release it soon, his Elemental Heroes might lose their value if they waited too long.
In the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX animation, from Yuki Judai's childhood flashbacks, you could see that even when he was young, he was a devoted player of the Elemental Hero series.
This means that ten years before the GX animation timeline, the Hero series was likely released... In other words, around the same time Youyu is in now.
While players wouldn't be able to go to a store and buy card packs directly like in the native NPC world after the Hero series released, given time, players were bound to find quests rewarding Hero Cards.
If Youyu held onto his Elemental Heroes too long, they might not be as valuable by then.
So if he wanted to cash in, now might be the best time.
As it happens, the official server is about to open, which is also a great opportunity.
Gacha games like to run promotions when new maps or servers open, like half-price card packs or exclusive cards that require spending money to get, and so on.
So Youyu decided to follow this strategy as well. Seizing the opportunity of the official server opening, he would launch a special Hero series card box.
The price would be higher than a regular box, but the favorability required for pack draws would only be 20 points!
Bear in mind, if you buy directly with money, the Elemental Hero series starts at 40 points to purchase.
Though it may still be a bit high for most players, for those more familiar faces around Youyu who flatter him energetically, it's a reasonably achievable goal.
A little effort, and there's hope!
While accompanying silly players opening packs for half the day, Youyu's stock of Crystal Stones rose at a visibly rapid pace. In the blink of an eye, it surpassed five digits, even on track to hit six digits by the end of the day.
But before that happened, Youyu waved his hand to disperse the enthusiastic fans: "Alright, alright, that's it for today, everyone go home."
The players sighed, glumly bid farewell to Youyu with reluctance, and left the card shop.
It's not that Youyu's tired of earning Crystal Stones that he didn't want to sell anymore, rather, if he continued selling willy-nilly without restraint every day, his stock might not hold up...
After all, there were so many players, and even with his many cards, there was a limit; he couldn't cater to everyone equally.
So, despite the frustration, Youyu could only prioritize players with higher favorability, those who flattered him more.
After wrapping up business, as the players dispersed, Ito Makoto appeared before Youyu with a grumpy, begrudging look.
It seemed like ever since that last card game, the old man kept this expression, giving Youyu the feeling he'd stolen his rice...
"Uh, Manager, is there something you need?"
"Humph." Makoto snorted, sliding a card across the counter.
"Remember this?"
Youyu looked down—eh, isn't this The Grand Jupiter?
Though Youyu didn't consider the card very practical, as part of the "Planet Series," it still held significant "power."
While gaining one or two cards wouldn't aid Youyu in breaking through ranks at his current level, it was still useful.
Aware of the card's preciousness, Youyu solemnly extended his hand: "I gratefully accept your sentiment, sir. As a duelists' promise, I will cherish it..."
Smack!
The old manager slapped Youyu's outstretched hand.
Youyu: "?"
"Who the hell said I was giving it to you?" Makoto rolled his eyes, taking the card back, "I'm just letting you see it!"
Youyu: "..."
Like I just get to look at it! Why even mention it?
This is like letting me see but not touch!
Makoto snorted: "It's not like I wanted you to see it, I'm not interested in some brat like you! Remember, I said this card was from a friend in the International Fantasy Society?"
"I remember."
"That friend contacted me, said he wants to meet you."
"Meet me?" Youyu was puzzled, "Why does he want to meet me?"
"Seems his son is a fan of the Duel King, and he himself said he's interested in you."
Youyu thought, why do so many men seem to take an interest in me lately...
But since he was from the International Fantasy Society and had gifted Makoto such a valuable card from the Planet Series, he must be an extraordinary person?
Youyu had become slightly intrigued.
"Alright, then let's arrange a time," Youyu said. "And what's your friend's name, how should I address him?"
"Phoenix. Just call him Mr. Phoenix."
"Oh, Mr. Phoenix...
...?????"
Youyu suddenly realized something.
Phoenix? Could it be... Ed's father?