The plan to build his luxury cabin was already underway, but for Jiang He, the most important task right now was to keep earning Emotion Points... or rather, to keep doing good deeds! He wanted to bring "warmth" and "joy" to others while redeeming a new Troll Deck from the system.
In the blink of an eye, he noticed Syrus Truesdale sitting on the tatami mats, following Jaden Yuki's advice to tweak his deck. A sudden spark of inspiration hit Jiang He.
"Syrus, since you're free, how about a duel?" Jiang He asked, his voice dripping with false sincerity as he tempted Jaden's little sidekick. "If you just put a few counters in your deck specifically for me,
you'd have a pretty high win rate! I'm only doing this so you can experience the success of defeating the man who OTK'd the top elite of Obelisk Blue, Chazz Princeton. I want to help you build that confidence you're lacking!"
Jiang He spoke with such conviction he almost believed his own lies. Imagine that sacrificing himself to bear the weight of defeat just so someone else could stand tall.
"Jiang He...!" Both Syrus and Jaden were deeply moved. What a truly great friend!
One minute later.
A BOOM echoed through the room, followed by a flash of light and a cloud of smoke. Syrus stared blankly at the floor, falling to his knees after watching Jiang He "combo" for sixty seconds straight before hitting him with an instant OTK.
[Ding! Emotion Points from Syrus Truesdale +200.]
"It looks like luck wasn't on your side this time, Syrus. You won the toss and went first, but not a single one of those counter cards you added for my Exodia deck actually made it into your hand," Jiang He said, offering a look of deep regret and encouragement.
He continued his "persuasion," and seeing his encouraging expression plus Jaden nodding in genuine agreement Syrus suddenly perked up. He felt that Jiang He was right!
"Jiang He-san, please duel me again!" Syrus shouted, full of drive.
"Duel!"
Another minute passed.
Inside the room, the same BOOM of an explosion and smoke erupted. Syrus fell to his knees again, his face now bearing an expression of someone questioning the very nature of reality.
[Ding! Emotion Points from Syrus Truesdale +400.]
He had been OTK'd again!
Even though he had drawn a Trap Card capable of destroying a monster in his opening hand, and even though Jiang He let him go first, he had successfully destroyed Jiang He's first Royal Magical Library. But a second later, Jiang He played the Spell Card Double Summon and brought out a second Royal Magical Library.
Then came the familiar "comboing" phase. It was like listening to a horror story all over again.
"Jiang He, I think I should..." Syrus began, ready to give up.
"Syrus, haven't you noticed? You've already made progress!" Jiang He interrupted, pouring on a thick layer of "chicken soup for the soul."
Adopting the persona of a spiritual mentor, Jiang He preached, "If you can draw a trap like Lightforce Sword in your opening hand next time, you can banish a card from your opponent's hand for four turns. You could replicate the victory of the Duel King, Yugi Muto, when he defeated an Exodia deck years ago!"
Jaden stood nearby, nodding vigorously. Drawing the perfect counter in the first turn? That wasn't hard at all! In his mind, if Syrus kept improving, it was entirely possible.
"A chance to win like Yugi Muto did against Exodia...!" Syrus's eyes lit up. His passion was reignited! "Please, just one more duel!"
"Ganbatte!" Jiang He cheered, smiling and nodding with an encouraging fist pump.
"Yes!" Syrus nodded solemnly, determined not to let Jiang He's kindness go to waste.
One minute later.
The familiar BOOM of an explosion and smoke filled the room... Syrus fell to his knees once more, his face completely devoid of hope. He looked like he had nothing left to live for.
[Ding! Emotion Points from Syrus Truesdale +100.]
He was numb. Completely numb.
After ending his first turn with nothing but a trap that destroyed one monster, only to see Jiang He use Double Summon to bring out a second Royal Magical Library again, Syrus simply sat there with a hollow gaze. He watched Jiang He "combo" through his deck, telling a "horror story" that could only be titled The Liar.
And he had actually thought Jiang He was a good person.
Waaaah! Liars! They're all liars!
"The points are actually going down... Looks like I can't farm any more Emotion Points off Jaden's sidekick for a while," Jiang He muttered to himself. He had expected the third win to yield even more points, but Syrus had gone completely numb, resulting in less emotional fluctuation.
"Tch, what a shame..." Jiang He clicked his tongue. If Syrus knew what he was thinking, he probably would have stood up for a real-life PK session, even if he stood no chance of winning.
Regrettable as it was, Jiang He checked his totals. This session had netted him 700 points. Combined with his previous 800, he now had 1,500! He could finally redeem a new Troll Deck from the system!
Furthermore, he had tested another application of the Duel Spirit Vision he had received yesterday. Although his Exodia OTK deck didn't contain any awakened spirits, his new perception allowed him to feel the power fluctuations and a unique "sensation" from the cards.
It felt as though he could call out to the cards in his heart to influence the order of his draws! He wasn't quite at the level of Jaden Yuki who had a 100% bond with his deck and could pull off a "Destiny Draw"
every single time but he could achieve his heart's desire to a certain extent, ensuring a relatively favorable hand. At the very least, he wouldn't end up with two Exodia pieces at the very bottom of his deck like he did against Chazz!
If he were facing a top-tier duelist like Alexis Rhodes, who might specifically tech against him, Jiang He couldn't be 100% sure of a win.
But against someone like Syrus who was weak and currently unable to see Duel Spirits it didn't matter. Even if Syrus knew the weakness of the Exodia deck and added counters, he still had to draw them.
With his ability to see spirits and his Clear Mind skill, which guaranteed one Destiny Draw per game, Jiang He was practically guaranteed to start with two Royal Magical Libraries to begin his onslaught.
He had successfully ascended to a level of "inhumanity."
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