The students all stared wide-eyed, breathing quick and shallow, faces full of shock and elation.
"We actually triggered a brand new quest on the spot! And the rewards are this good! You can even get a random rare card!"
"The private shop opened just like that? I thought you had to build up enough favorability to unlock it?"
While everyone was buzzing in excitement, a brand-new prompt popped up at the bottom of the quest panel. The scarlet "Limited-Time" label was particularly eye-catching: [Limited-Time Event Activated].
[Event Name]: Satellite District Defense Supply
[Event Duration]: From now until the Defense Battle officially ends
[Event Details]: Players can spend a small amount of Crystals in their private shop to redeem various practical cards. Limited-time Surprise Blind Boxes are also on sale! For only 150 Crystals per box, you have an extremely high chance to pull legendary rare cards like [Pot of Greed] and [Graceful Charity]. Those truly blessed with luck may even open a full deck core!
The moment those four characters "Pot of Greed" appeared, the plaza detonated again. Exclamations rolled across the scene in waves.
"Holy crap! It's Pot of Greed! That's a legendary god-tier card, the draw engine of draw engines! With that, your deck's resource loop goes straight to the moon!"
"150 Crystals per blind box? Even if you don't pull a god card, just getting a generic rare easily covers the cost! This is pure profit!"
It didn't take long before someone couldn't help themselves any longer. A player raised his hand and tapped open his private shop's virtual interface. His fingers started flying over the screen as he scrolled through the card list, eyes burning hot.
When they finally saw what was actually on display in the shop, every one of them wore the same expression Kazetaro and Kouki had when they first saw the shop: total, shell-shocked disbelief. Their jaws dropped, and "holy crap" became the only thing they seemed capable of saying.
"WC, look at this! Miki's [Drytron] deck that he just lost with… you can straight up exchange for the full list. And it only costs 10,000 Crystals!"
"wc, there really is Pot of Greed in stock! But that price is insane, it's 100,000 Crystals. Still, I heard you get a discount once your favorability is high enough. Guess we'd better start farming favor hard."
"There's [Maxx 'C'] too! Only 5,000 Crystals. That's the anti-combo nuke, a must-have into every combo deck. I'm grabbing one no matter what!"
…
After seeing the full lineup with their own eyes, every player present basically hit their climax on the spot. They hopped up and down cheering, some even slapping their own thighs in excitement, already imagining their decks stuffed to the brim with rare cards, rampaging across the Satellite District with no one able to stand in their way.
Compared to buying single cards, most players clearly preferred the thrill and dopamine of drawing blind boxes. That sense of the unknown and the possibility of "striking gold" made their blood boil.
Staring at those golden blind boxes floating on their interface, shimmering with a soft glow, Kazetaro bit down hard, a decisive glint flashing through his eyes. He took all 1,500 Crystals he'd painstakingly farmed to Level 5 and dumped the lot into blind boxes.
The instant he confirmed the purchase, his Crystal total instantly dropped to zero. At the same time, ten blind boxes radiating dazzling golden light appeared neatly lined up in front of him, each wrapped in a faint halo.
He took a deep breath and tapped "Open All."
A blinding flash of gold exploded, forcing everyone to squint. When the light finally faded, Kazetaro froze, pupils tightening for an instant, and then his jaw dropped as he let out a roar that shook the plaza.
"Holy shiiit! I hit it! I actually hit it!!!"
He was shaking from head to toe, voice cracking with excitement.
Hearing his shout, the players nearby all paused, turning to stare at him in unison. Their eyes were full of curiosity and naked envy.
"Spit it out! What did you pull? Don't you dare bait us like this!"
"With luck that broken, don't tell me you actually pulled Pot of Greed? Hurry up and show us!"
"Quit stalling and stop playing mysterious! Tell us already, I'm dying over here!"
Kazetaro didn't answer right away. He just numbly reached into his virtual backpack, drew out a card, and raised it high.
Cold, mechanical light ran across the surface of the card. The name [Crystron Halqifibrax] was clearly written along the top.
For a heartbeat the players around him all went blank.
Then the explosion of screams was even louder than before.
"WC! It's 'the dead man'!"
"Halqi himself! Bro, you actually escaped from the prison using pure luck?!"
"What kind of god-tier luck is this? You actually pulled [Crystron Halqifibrax]! You can't even put a price on this card. You got it for 1,500 Crystals?!"
Someone couldn't hold back anymore and squeezed up beside him, blurting, "How many Crystals did you burn to hit that core card? Tell us straight!"
Kazetaro was still reeling from the shock of having pulled Halqifibrax. His cheeks were flushed red as he dazedly held up three fingers, voice trembling.
"1,500 Crystals… I went all-in."
"WC! 1,500 Crystals for Halqi?! That's profit to heaven and back! Yusaku's the one getting robbed here!"
"Damn it! If I'd known, I wouldn't have hesitated over which singles to buy. If I'd just gone all-in on blind boxes, that Halqi might've been mine. I regret it so much my guts are green!"
"No way I'm sitting this out. I'm drawing too! Maybe I'll be the next luck king!"
After witnessing Kazetaro's insane luck with their own eyes, all the players who'd been hesitating or observing from the sidelines stopped thinking and started acting. One after another, they opened their interfaces, fingers dancing as they dumped every last Crystal they had into blind boxes, hammering the "Draw" button like their lives depended on it.
Very quickly, the entire plaza turned into a chorus of screams, cheers, and wails. Some people were overjoyed, others on the verge of tears. It sounded more like a street market than a battlefield staging ground.
"Damn it! Why is it that I dumped two thousand Crystals in and didn't get a single decent hit?! It's all bulk rares, I got fleeced!" One player thumped his chest and stamped his feet, face twisted with grief.
"Hahahaha! I hit [Elemental HERO Stratos]! Only cost me a thousand Crystals. That's a win any way you slice it!" Another was grinning from ear to ear, waving the card around to show everyone.
Hearing the stream of complaints and boasts, a playful smile tugged at the corner of Yusaku's mouth.
He glanced down at his system panel, where his total Crystals were skyrocketing. The string of digits was still ticking up at high speed, and he couldn't help thinking to himself, a hint of sly amusement in his eyes.
You might all think you're hitting small profits.
But I never lose.
They'd be heading for the Duel Tower soon. Right now was the perfect time to "harvest" a wave of players, stockpile resources, and strengthen himself before the next round of fighting.
After all, most of the cards he'd stuffed into the blind box pool were either things he didn't plan to use, or extra copies he'd gotten as duplicates. Rather than leaving them sitting in his backpack gathering dust, it was much better to convert them into hard currency: Crystals.
As for that Halqifibrax Kazetaro pulled, that had been intentional on Yusaku's part.
He'd deliberately increased Halqi's appearance rate in the prize pool specifically to "single out" this particular Blue Lock-tier gambler.
If he didn't do that, how were all those Crystal-hoarding hamsters supposed to willingly hand over the resources they'd grinded so hard for?
And Pot of Greed? With the amount they'd invested so far, there was simply no way anyone was pulling it.
He'd set a hidden threshold for that god card. Only after a player's total Crystal spend reached a certain level would the Pot's drop rate even be turned on.
The more you spent, the higher your odds. A few thousand Crystals was nothing but a drop in the ocean.
Thinking you could pull Pot of Greed off a few thousand Crystals was pure fantasy.
Watching player after player still riding the high of blind-box gambling, counting their hits and plotting how to grind even more Crystals for "one more ten-pull," Yusaku didn't step forward to say anything.
He simply walked alone toward the edge of the plaza, to a relatively quiet spot where he could see the stacked silhouette of distant buildings.
From his pocket he took out a flip phone. The casing was silver-gray with sleek lines and a solid, premium heft.
Labrynth had left it to him before heading up to the Upper City to search for Saya and Reina. Supposedly it was the latest Upper City model: excellent battery life and far more stable signal than the junk used in the Satellite District.
The instant he flipped it open, the screen lit up and hundreds of unread messages popped in at once, every one of them from Labrynth. Some were silly cat stickers, others were long, rambling rants about her day. All of them were lively and full of personality.
[I made it safely to the Upper City! The buildings here are way fancier than in the Satellite District. So much… ahem, "interesting material" to look at. What are you doing right now?]
[Breaking news! I found traces of Saya and Reina. The two of them actually became a phantom thief duo up here, only robbing the bad guys. They're so cool!]
[The people from Genius Academy seem to be hunting for something. They're wandering all over the place. I've had to dodge them a bunch of times already, but don't worry, I'm super good at hiding!]
[You're dead meat! You ignored my messages for so long!]
…
Looking at the wall of texts on the screen, Yusaku couldn't help the small smile that touched his lips. Warmth flickered in his eyes as he pressed the call button.
The call connected almost instantly. Labrynth's familiar, lively voice came through the speaker at once, full of playful complaint.
"Well, well, someone finally remembered to call. Were you too busy flirting with some cute spirit girl to spare me a second?"
Hearing that teasing tone, Yusaku's smile deepened, his voice carrying a hint of indulgence. "No matter how cute the other spirit girls are, none of them are as beautiful as my Labrynth. How could I ever forget you?"
On the other end, he heard a soft, satisfied huff, clearly pleased.
"You do know how to talk. I'll let you off this time." She paused, then her tone turned serious. "I really did find Saya and Reina. Those two have insane guts. They actually snuck into Genius Academy and released a bunch of Spirits being held there. Now they're wanted across the entire Upper City. We're hiding in an abandoned warehouse for now. It's safe… temporarily."
Yusaku's expression hardened slightly. "They were detaining Spirits? Why is Genius Academy capturing Spirits?"
Before Labrynth could answer, another crisp, familiar voice came from the receiver: Reina's.
"That's right, Master! The people from Genius Academy are awful! They've been hunting Spirits everywhere, locking them in special cages and using their power for who-knows-what. Once they've drained all the energy out of them, they turn the Spirits into cards. It's way too cruel!"
Yusaku's brows drew together as he stared at the back of the phone, thoughts churning.
Genius Academy was searching for the Millennium Items while also grabbing Spirits all over the world.
What exactly are they planning?
Reina's urgent voice pulled him from his thoughts, thick with longing. "Oh, right, Master! When are you coming to find us? We all miss you so much. Saya especially. She talks about you every single day!"
His tone softened noticeably, full of gentle reassurance. "Once I finish things on my side, I'll come for you. You three have to take care of yourselves in the meantime. No more reckless stunts. Saya's there too, right? Why hasn't she said a word?"
A small, timid voice came through, tinged with shyness. "I'm here, Master."
The next moment, Reina's voice barged back in, dripping with gossip. "Master, let me tell you, Saya normally looks all quiet and shy, but every night she curls up under the covers and keeps whispering your name. I don't know what she's—"
"Reina! Stop talking nonsense!" Saya's flustered protest cut her off. There was a faint scuffling sound over the line, clearly the two Spirits wrestling over the phone.
Listening to their bickering, Yusaku could easily picture the two Spirits tussling adorably in that dark warehouse. His smile grew warmer and some of the tension in his chest eased.
…
…
Labrynth's voice came again, a bit hurried this time, with muffled footsteps in the background. "Okay, enough clowning around. I think the Genius Academy guys are sweeping this area. We've gotta move. Once we reach somewhere safer, I'll call you again!"
A thread of worry crept into Yusaku's heart. "Then be extra careful. Don't try to fight them head-on."
"Relax!" Labrynth sounded as confident as ever. "Their duel skills are trash. If they didn't have numbers on their side, they'd be no threat at all.
"Oh yeah, one more thing. I heard they've teamed up with some forces in the Satellite District and are planning a counteroffensive. You need to keep your eyes open too. Be careful, okay?"
"Got it."
He ended the call, took a long breath, then lifted his gaze toward the sky, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"What is Genius Academy really scheming?"
"…Forget it. Thinking too hard now won't change anything. Once I get to the Upper City, everything will come to light."
He shook his head, scattering his stray thoughts, and opened up the system interface to check how many Crystals he'd accumulated this time.
When the total flashed in front of him, Yusaku froze.
For a moment he suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him.
He rubbed them hard and checked again. The number hadn't changed. He couldn't help sucking in a breath of cold air.
He'd underestimated how much these players were willing to spend.
Last time, when he'd assembled his Red Dragon Archfiend deck, he'd burned through all his system-granted Crystals.
And now, in less than half an hour, his Crystals had shot from 0 up to 27,600, and the number was still climbing fast.
The growth was slowing, of course. That made sense. Most players had already emptied their wallets.
Twenty-seven thousand six hundred Crystals. Not a lot, but not exactly pocket change either.
But trying to complete a full, competitive deck purely off that amount? The difficulty was still enormous.
Aside from a handful of special cards that had to be exchanged for Forbidden Card Shards, the system's gacha pool lumped everything together into a single massive lottery.
If you wanted to assemble a particular deck, your only option was to keep drawing, break down the duplicates, then fuse the materials three-to-one into the specific pieces you needed.
"Right, the system also rewarded me with the core engine for a Tier-1 deck earlier. Wonder if it's max rarity?"
Yusaku took a deep breath, placed his palms together in front of his chest, and rubbed them vigorously like a scheming fly. His eyes burned with anticipation.
Open!
With a thought, he tapped into his backpack.
What greeted him was a full set of monsters, all rendered in slick, high-tech mechanical art.
Thunder roared. Fire surged.
Looking at the complete Thunderfire engine lying there, Yusaku sucked in another breath.
The system's really in a generous mood this time.
In this world, there was no such thing as a Forbidden and Limited List.
And Xyz-based strategies, in particular, were packed with cards that were banned back in his original world.
Gun-wielding champions, calamity-bringing overlords, and that Rank-4 "sewer boss" Thunderfire had abused straight onto the banlist…
He definitely needed to start farming Forbidden Card Shards as soon as possible and redeem more of those busted cards.
Then he'd let the people of this world experience what it meant to be beaten senseless by "pure meta."
(End of Chapter)
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