Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

Luka casually took a seat next to Kevin.

The four of them sat in a row in the middle of the large lecture hall, forming a rather conspicuous group.

It was a strange combination: a beautiful transfer student, the grade's number one, the former bottom-feeder, and a red-haired bystander.

The sight of these four sitting together naturally drew the attention of the other students.

Ilin: "(╯°Д°)╯ Who are you calling a red-haired bystander?"

Among the onlookers were some hidden female fans of Kevin who had been secretly admiring him.

Seeing Kevin, who had built his reputation on "hating women," now sitting with three beautiful girls—one of whom was an impossibly cute transfer student—they felt their dreams shatter. Some even considered unfollowing him and burning the fan-made BL comics they had drawn of him.

"Using the summoning class to decide who gets to be Aisha's rival, huh?"

Kevin let out a proud snort, his tone eerily similar to his sister Kaiba's.

"You've got some nerve, transfer student, challenging me to a duel monster summoning contest."

Kevin's confidence wasn't unfounded. He currently held the record for the strongest monster summons in the first year.

Whether it was the Red-Eyes Black Dragon he summoned during the midterm exams or the Valkyrie of Strength he summoned in regular classes, both were considered the strongest monster summons in the first year.

"I'm new here, so I'm not entirely familiar with Fusion Academy's standards, but this sounds like it'll be fun. Or are you afraid of losing to me and losing your right to be Aisha's rival?"

"Nonsense!" The taunt worked perfectly, instantly igniting Kevin's competitive spirit.

"You don't understand Aisha at all. I won't let you take the rival position from me, transfer student."

"Interesting. Then let's settle this, Kevin!"

"っﾟДﾟ)っ Hey, you two! I'm really not comfortable with this!"

Without even consulting the person in question, the innocent Aisha had somehow become the prize in Kevin and Luka's rivalry contest.

And of all things, they had chosen monster summoning as the method of competition—something Aisha was particularly bad at.

Although the contest seemed to be between Kevin and Luka, and her own summoning results didn't matter, if both of them summoned incredibly powerful monsters while she could only summon low-level weaklings… wouldn't it be better for them to just be rivals with each other? Why drag her into this?

Of course, Aisha's suggestion didn't seem to be accepted. Given Kevin and Luka's determination, she was destined to be their rival today.

The summoning class began.

You Ling had initially been puzzled about how duel monster summoning worked in the Elven Continent.

If duelists could only summon monsters during weekly classes at the academy, where did duelists who weren't enrolled in the three major academies—like rare card hunters roaming in the shadows—get their monster cards?

Even crafting magic and trap cards required spell points and the Spell Catalog.

But later, You Ling found the answer.

In reality, the seemingly essential facilities in the academy were only supplementary.

For example, while spell points converted from academic credits were convenient, duelists could also obtain spells through the "growth" defined by their Spirit Eye, randomly crafting cards without them.

However, the concept of academic credits and the Spell Catalog's targeted crafting made a duelist's "growth" smoother and allowed them to decide the direction of their deck's development.

The same applied to duel monster summoning.

Even without the academy's mana amplification rituals, when enough mana accumulated in the Spirit Eye, duelists could still summon monster cards directly.

Mana amplification simply accelerated the summoning frequency for academy students or made it easier for them to summon powerful monsters.

In short, all the auxiliary facilities in the academy were very useful, but none were absolutely necessary.

However, it was undeniable that duelists trained through the academy's systematic facilities grew much faster and had more precise direction than self-taught duelists.

The idea that "learning is useless" didn't apply in this duel world.

This was also the most important reason why nobles fought to send their children to the three major academies.

"Alright, the summoning class has begun. Those who are ready can step onto the mana amplification circle. The summoning time is still the entire morning, so get moving."

Teacher Erin tossed the student roster onto the podium, which was typical of her teaching style.

It was very freeform. There was no need to follow a fixed order based on student numbers.

If you felt ready, you could go first.

If you felt unsure, you could wait, or even choose not to summon at all.

Of course, if you missed this summoning opportunity, you'd lose out on both a monster and the academic credit rewards.

"I'll go first!" In fact, Ilin also felt in top form this morning and wasn't about to lose to Kevin or Luka.

Stepping onto the mana amplification circle, Ilin lightly waved her finger, activating the Spirit Eye on her arm.

"In the name of heroes, descend, my monster!—Summon!"

[Elemental HERO Bubbleman ★★★★ Water]

[Warrior-Type/Effect ATK: 800 DEF: 1200]

Although the attack and defense stats of this 4-star monster weren't particularly high, as one of the signature Elemental HEROes with an effect that replenished hand cards, Ilin was quite satisfied with this summon.

Of course, Teacher Erin was also pleased with the summon and, as a reward for Ilin being the first to step up, gave her a perfect score of 10 points.

"Full marks! Did you see that?"

Returning to her seat, Ilin couldn't help but show off to the two rivals vying for the "rival" title.

"Hmph, just a Bubbleman."

The second to rise, Kevin Seto took Ilin's place on the mana amplification circle.

"Roar from the depths of my soul, resound!—Monster Summon!"

[Black Dragon's Knight ★★★★ Dark]

[Dragon-Type/Ritual/Effect ATK: 1900 DEF: 1200]

Appearing on the mana amplification circle was a knight riding a black dragon, a 4-star monster with an almost maxed-out attack of 1900.

Of course, that wasn't the key point. What mattered most was that this card was a Ritual Monster, and its effect supported the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in Kevin's deck.

"For this stage, it's a very good support monster. 10 points. Remember to craft the dedicated Ritual Spell Card after class, Kevin."

"Yes, Teacher."

Naturally, Kevin also received a perfect score from Teacher Erin. With two perfect scores right off the bat, the other students didn't dare interfere in this summoning war that was already filled with tension.

"Ohhh, I see now."

After watching Ilin and Kevin's summons, Luka's sapphire-blue eyes sparkled as she quickly assessed the situation.

"It seems Fusion Academy's summoning standards are indeed quite low."