Duel World Online had been like a magnet for players across the globe ever since the start of development.
With its parent company's carpet-bombing style marketing, the game's hype climbed like a rocket, higher and higher.
Rumor had it the entire game was run by a super A.I. mainframe in full autonomous mode. The officials couldn't interfere with in-game operations at all, and the direction of the world would be decided entirely by the players themselves.
Three rounds of closed beta, plus all the videos leaked and shared by CBT players, pushed the hype to an absolute peak.
When the open beta day finally arrived, the passion that had been suppressed for so long erupted like a volcano.
An entire hour before the official launch, huge numbers of players had already put on their VR headsets and logged into the server, waiting in the virtual lobby for that moment to arrive.
[10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1!]
[Open Beta Online]
[Loading data... Data load complete!]
[Game forum now live]
[Welcome to Duel World Online, Version 1.0 – "Duelist"!]
The instant the countdown hit zero, beams of light descended one after another. Player avatars appeared out of thin air in deserted back alleys and empty corners, looking around curiously.
This time was completely different from the closed betas. Even though this was only the first batch of open-beta players, their numbers already far exceeded any previous test, and the probability of players spawning in the same area had skyrocketed.
Barely one minute after launch, the players collectively let themselves go and revealed their true clown nature.
"Holy crap, this texture quality is insane! It's literally indistinguishable from reality!"
Someone jumped up and down in excitement, even crouching to poke at the stone slabs on the ground.
"I don't know who I am. I don't know where I am. I only know one thing: I'm about to go on a killing spree!"
A player had barely found his footing before he snapped open his Duel Disk with a "shff", eyes blazing as he scanned the surroundings.
"Why can't male players pick female avatars?! This is blatant gender discrimination!"
Someone angrily protested at his character menu.
More and more players spawned in, until the crowd looked endless at a glance. As the old saying goes: once you pass a thousand heads, there's no edge to the sea of people.
After the initial phase of gawking and testing their bodies, the more sharp-minded players began to move.
They still remembered: this game had no such thing as a "starter town" or "newbie quests". Everything had to be discovered and developed by the players themselves.
It didn't take long for players to start appearing simultaneously on the main commercial streets of the Upper City and the Satellite Zone.
They roamed like monkeys let loose from the mountain, looking around in every direction. Even the shops, pedestrians, and trash cans by the road were novelties to be investigated: touch this with one hand, lean over to inspect that.
The local residents quickly noticed these strangely dressed "outsiders", each of them wearing a baffled expression.
They really couldn't understand it. Why had so many weirdos suddenly appeared, and why did they all snap open Duel Disks the moment they saw someone and yell for a duel?
Sometimes a single female Duelist would have over a dozen people crowding around her, fighting over the right to duel first.
Some of them didn't even spare seven- or eight-year-old kids, crouching down behind them, insisting on dueling to see who was stronger.
Scenes like this were playing out in parallel in every corner of both the Satellite Zone and the Upper City.
On day one of the open beta, all players were completely immersed in excitement and curiosity.
Once they discovered that the game came with built-in screenshot and recording functions, they became even more energetic. Even the most trivial incidents had to be posted to the in-game forum "for the content".
The number of threads exploded like a geyser, soaring at a speed that made people's eyes spin.
"Holy crap, you can actually take your pants off in this game! But I just wanna know: why does it force underwear back on after you take them off?!"
That was a "serious question" posted by a player with the handle "ComePunchMe".
"First win achieved as a newbie! Stick with big sis and you'll stomp opponents with ease!"
A female player flaunted her achievement in another thread. In the attached screenshot, she faced the camera with a V-sign and a bright smile, while behind her a little girl with a high ponytail was pouting and on the verge of tears after losing.
Of course, threads like that were countless, but the ones with the highest heat were the two below.
The first was posted by the player "Sweet Tofu Is Heresy", with a title that read:
"Help, veterans! Did I just trigger a hidden quest? This popped up when I spawned in the Upper City!"
Under that click-bait title, he casually attached a screenshot of the quest he'd triggered.
[Quest Name: Suppress the Uprising]
[Quest Description: The Satellite Zone facility used to imprison heinous Duelists is suspected of plotting an uprising. If the rebellion succeeds, it will cause massive turmoil and plunge the Upper City into chaos. Please assist the Upper City authorities in suppressing the rebel forces.]
[Quest Difficulty: A Rank]
[Quest Reward: Rewards distributed based on individual Contribution]
Under the post, plenty of players replied with screenshots of the same quest, showing that they had also triggered it.
The second hot thread was likewise about a quest, but its content was the complete opposite. The poster was "No Cilantro", who said he'd spawned in the Satellite Zone and received a quest not long after logging in.
[Quest Name: Resist Oppression]
[Quest Description: The Upper City has long monopolized premium resources while enforcing brutal oppression over the people of the Satellite Zone. That oppression has now reached a breaking point. Please help the people of the Satellite Zone resist tyranny, break the Upper City's monopoly, and achieve true fairness.]
[Quest Difficulty: A Rank]
[Quest Reward: Rewards distributed based on individual Contribution]
This thread also drew a huge crowd of players claiming they too had triggered this quest.
In addition, a freshly posted, still low-visibility thread caught the attention of a few players: someone discovered that when players with opposing quests dueled, the winner would receive "Contribution Points" as a system reward.
The more observant players quickly pieced things together. This was a faction quest.
The main axis was the long-standing animosity between the Satellite Zone and the Upper City, a conflict that had clearly reached a point of no return.
Now players had to choose a side: join the Upper City to suppress the uprising, or side with the Satellite Zone to resist oppression.
...
After an excruciatingly long wait, "Kazetaro" logged into the game the instant the servers opened.
As a closed-beta veteran, he had the privilege of choosing his spawn point. He didn't hesitate at all and picked the 27th Level of the Satellite Zone.
The moment he entered the game, he looked up at the familiar dim sky and let out a long breath of relief.
"Good, same old place. No weird bugs."
He'd already read all the hot posts on the forum. Opening his quest interface now, he saw exactly what he expected: the quest Resist Oppression.
Staring at the quest panel, Kazetaro's lips curled into a knowing smile.
"Just as I thought. If you spawn in the lower district you get the Resistance quest, and in the Upper City you get the Suppression one..."
"Even if I'd started in the Upper City I'd have run down here anyway. What can I say, my love for this land runs real deep."
"I just wonder if this quest lets you play double agent..."
"I don't know if the big guys are online yet. Whatever, I'll know once I swing by Takeuchi Dojo. Yusaku-san, I'm coming!"
Muttering to himself, he folded away his Duel Disk and sprinted toward the dojo along the route he memorized from the beta.
At the same time, the front entrance of Takeuchi Dojo was already packed with players in all sorts of crazy outfits, packed shoulder to shoulder.
Looking at this rowdy crowd all shouting that they wanted to join the dojo, the two students in charge of registration were completely baffled.
The place was usually so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Why were there suddenly so many people today?
"Could it be because Yusaku-senpai won that match yesterday?"
One student couldn't help guessing. After all, just yesterday their senior had cut down Lion King Dojo's so-called "Demon King", Fujiwara, right on the spot.
"Whatever. Let's just register them one by one. Having this many Duelists join up is a good thing."
The other student made the call.
Just as they were about to pick up the registration book, three figures came charging in like a storm.
They frowned, about to remind them "No cutting in line," when the newcomers spoke first.
"Senpai, is Yusaku-senpai here? I looked all over the dojo and couldn't find him!"
Hearing that familiar voice, the two students relaxed.
"Oh, it's you, junior. Yusaku-senpai left early this morning. If you head to the shopping street you might run into him."
"The shopping street, huh?"
Kazetaro nodded and immediately turned to sprint toward the commercial district.
The other players heard the words "Yusaku isn't at the dojo" and exploded instantly. They abandoned the line as one and bolted after Kazetaro.
In the blink of an eye, what had been a neat queue dissolved into total chaos.
"Uh..."
Watching the crowd disappear down the street, the two students stared at each other.
"So they really were all here for Yusaku-senpai..."
Before long, Kazetaro arrived at the shopping district. After a quick search, he finally found Yusaku at the old plaza.
He also spotted his fellow closed-beta party member, Kouki, standing not far from Yusaku.
Right now, Kouki was standing a short distance away from him.
"Big bro, how'd you log in so fast?"
Kazetaro scooted over to Kouki and asked.
"I got in the queue three hours before launch. How could I not be fast?"
Kouki pushed up the black frame of his glasses, sounding more than a little smug.
"So you could actually queue ahead of time... I thought you had to wait for the servers to go live to log in."
"No matter. A few minutes doesn't make much difference."
Hearing that, Kazetaro stopped dwelling on it and turned his gaze toward the center of the plaza.
"Who's that blond guy facing Yusaku-senpai? With the kind of reputation senpai has on the 27th Level, someone still dares to challenge him?"
"I don't know either," Kouki said with a shake of his head. "I was chatting with Yusaku just now when this blond suddenly popped up out of nowhere and started shouting for a duel.
"Since you're here, they're just about to start."
On the field, Yusaku looked at the cocky blond boy in front of him, gently rubbing his chin with his fingers.
"Indigo uniform... I've never seen that style before. You're not from the 27th Level, are you?"
"Heh-heh-heh. Whether I'm from the 27th Level or not, does that really matter?"
The boy, Kazuki, bared his teeth in a grin.
"If you really wanna know, beat me first. If you win, I'll tell you."
"Sure. I accept your challenge."
Yusaku flipped his wrist and unfolded his Duel Disk.
He'd come to the shopping street today precisely to look for people to duel. After the open beta, most players spawned in out-of-the-way alleys. The commercial district was naturally where players would gather the most.
This was the best place to draw the players' attention.
He'd been just about to look for opponents himself when someone volunteered as tribute. He couldn't be blamed for taking the offer.
Seeing Yusaku accept, Kazuki burst out laughing.
"Then let's go! Time for me to see what you're really capable of!"
As his words fell, both of them slotted their decks into their Duel Disks at the same time.
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
The disks let out a low hum as pale blue screens unfolded. Data streams raced across the surfaces, and both players' starting Life Points appeared in clear digits.
[Yusaku, LP 8000]
[Kazuki, LP 8000]
The system quickly rolled the dice to determine turn order.
[First Turn: Kazuki]
Glancing at the prompt projected by the Duel Disk, Kazuki's fingers slid across his deck slot. With a crisp shuffle of cardboard, he drew his opening five cards, the corner of his mouth curving in a sharp arc.
"Then my first turn. Draw, Main Phase!"
After a brief moment of thought, he slapped one of the cards down onto his Duel Disk. The projection flared green.
"First I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed!"
A green jar engraved with intricate patterns appeared in front of everyone, its thick red lips grinning wide to show a row of huge yellowed teeth. It let out a lecherous chuckle.
The moment he played the card, the crowd erupted in gasps.
"Holy crap, the god card showed up!"
"My friend was right, the 'natives' really are walking banlists!"
"Damn you, Konami, I want that card too! Why can't players bet cards against NPCs, huh? This is blatant discrimination!"
After drawing, Kazuki frowned slightly. He really didn't get it. Had these people never seen a duel before? Why were they overreacting to every single card he played?
As expected of the lower district. So many clueless hicks.
Cursing them as bumpkins in his heart, he went on.
"Next I activate Terraforming, to add Fusion Gate from my deck to my hand!"
As he slotted the card in, a pitch-black vortex formed in the air above the field. The spinning wormhole looked like a gaping maw ready to swallow anything in reach, and even the air around it warped.
Kazuki raised another card for everyone to see.
"Continuous Spell, Temple of the Kings! While this card is face-up, I can activate a Trap Card the turn it's set!"
With that, he slammed the card down as well, then drew yet another card from his hand.
The moment his explanation ended, a massive stone temple appeared behind him, its doors closed tight and its interior swallowed in darkness.
Kazuki swung his arm fiercely.
"Now I flip my face-down: Trap Card, Chain Material!"
After playing it, he shot Yusaku a look.
"With this card, I can banish Fusion Materials from almost anywhere to conduct a Fusion Summon. So, can you guess what I'm about to summon?"
"Chain Material plus Fusion Gate."
Yusaku rubbed his chin, his tone calm.
"There are tons of decks that can use that combo. How would I know what you're summoning?"
"The answer is a mighty Worm."
Kazuki suddenly threw his head back in a laugh, yanking six cards from his deck and flashing them.
"Next, you'll witness the most terrifying combat power of the Worms! I choose Worm Yagan, Worm Xex, Worm Warlord, Worm Victory, Worm Ugly, and Worm Tentacles from my deck. All six Worms, offered up as material!"
Before he finished speaking, six different Worm projections crashed down onto the field.
The scythe-like forelimbs of Worm Yagan gleamed with metallic cold light; Worm Xex's shell dripped with corrosive slime; Worm Tentacles, with a three-meter wingspan, shrieked out a piercing screech...
The six Worms howled as they flew toward the fusion vortex in the sky. The black wormhole erupted in a blinding purple light.
Kazuki raised his arm high and shouted:
"Lord of the dead awakened from the chaotic wormhole, with the souls of six Worms as your guide, descend! Ultimate extermination weapon of the Worm race, pass judgment on all—Worm Zero!!!"
The next instant, a gigantic skeletal monster over five meters long burst out of the vortex. Purple ghost-fire burned in its empty eye sockets, and black web-like markings covered its bones.
"The effect of Worm Zero!"
Kazuki yelled.
"This card's ATK becomes the number of monster Types used as Fusion Material × 500. I used six different Worm monsters as material, so its ATK increases by 3000!"
[Worm Zero]
[Level 10 / Reptile / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK: 0 → 3000]
With Worm Zero summoned, Kazuki let out a triumphant laugh.
"People of the Satellite Zone, do you feel the might of the Worms now? A full 3000 Attack!"
The scene he imagined—onlookers terrified into silence by his monster—never materialized.
Staring at the Worm Zero that had appeared on the field, the watching players all wore strange expressions instead.
"Chain Material plus Fusion Gate just to summon this? How is this thing any different from a vanilla beater?"
"Monsters summoned by Chain Material get destroyed in the End Phase. What's he so happy about?"
"Honestly, it feels weaker than Cyber Dragon."
Kazuki: "..."
He snorted coldly.
"As expected of a bunch of uncultured savages."
Then he drew another six cards.
"According to Chain Material's effect, I activate Fusion Gate again, banishing the Fusion Materials used to summon the first Worm Zero from my deck to Fusion Summon a second Worm Zero!!!"
[Worm Zero]
[ATK: 0 → 3000]
With the card slapped down, a second Worm Zero appeared on his field.
"I'm not done yet!" Kazuki shouted.
"Once more I activate Fusion Gate, using the six Worms as Fusion Materials and banishing them to Special Summon a third Worm Zero!"
[Worm Zero]
[ATK: 0 → 3000]
(End of Chapter)
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