Here's the 1 extra Chapter.
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Chazz scrambled back into his seat, glaring.
"You're joining the Duel Club too?"
"Yeah. Why so worked up?" Kira asked, puzzled. "Missed me?"
Chazz realized he was overreacting, so he just glared and shut up. Official source is NovєlFіre.net
He should've expected this guy to show up.
A minute ago, he'd been imagining himself dominating the club and standing out, but now, suddenly, joining didn't seem so appealing. Maybe he shouldn't bother...
But just then, one of his lackeys whispered, "Boss, maybe we should skip joining..."
Chazz shot him a glare.
If he quit now, wouldn't that make him look weak?
"No need," Chazz huffed, shooting Kira a cold look. "I've wanted a rematch. Last time I underestimated you. But now, I'm different. Next time, I'll win."
"Sure, sounds good," Kira agreed.
Chazz wasn't scared; ever since Kira showed up at the academy, he'd been itching for a rematch to wipe away the shame of his last loss. Whether he joined the club or not, round two was happening.
He just had a weird feeling: if this guy joined the club, things would probably start getting weird.
Wherever this guy went, chaos followed. He was sort of like a walking curse.
Chazz wasn't sure he wanted to share an environment with this guy. He was afraid he'd be corrupted.
Kira didn't know exactly what Chazz was thinking, but he could tell from the way Chazz kept staring that it was about him.
Kids with a rebellious streak—clearly hadn't had enough beatings yet.
No big deal, he'd just have to give him another lesson.
Maybe Chazz thought he only lost last time because he underestimated Kira—or maybe he had gotten stronger. But Kira had also improved a lot, expanding his deck and skills far beyond when he first started.
The rematch would show Chazz just how harsh reality could be.
Kira glanced around and was surprised not to see a certain jellyfish-haired classmate.
Strange—how could Jaden not show up when there were duels to be had?
As the main character with the biggest card addiction in history (67 duels out of 180 episodes!), for Jaden, a day without dueling wasn't a day at all.
Then Kira remembered.
Oh, right—Jaden was in Slifer Red, and the Duel Club doesn't recruit Reds. That explains it.
At Duel Academy, which valued elite education, Slifer Red was at the bottom of the pecking order. Of course, the Duel Club wouldn't recruit from there.
To join an elite club, you had to at least be promoted to Ra Yellow.
"Alright, let's begin the Duel Club's entrance test."
An Obelisk Blue upperclassman stepped onto the stage and took the mic.
"Since we're short on time, I'll keep it brief. The Duel Club has several official members as gatekeepers. New applicants can choose any of them to challenge.
All the club members are experienced elites, so you don't have to win to pass. You just need to show your style and skill.
The judges will score your performance out of ten. A score of six or higher means you pass."
Wow, so there's a judged performance element. Kira wondered if the club mentors would do a spin if you played a cool combo...
"Of course, if any applicant is strong enough to defeat a gatekeeper, they can skip the scoring process and join directly. Plus, they'll get top-tier club resources."
Everyone knows dueling takes talent, so it's possible for a genius newbie to beat an old hand, though it's rare.
Club veterans had a year or more of systematic training, so their deck-building and card-pulling skills were naturally better. Plus, they'd collected more rare cards. So, unless a prodigy appeared, the gatekeepers rarely lost.
"Let's not waste time—the entrance test begins now."
Kira watched as several students went up in turn to challenge the gatekeepers. As expected, none could beat them.
Of the first five challengers, all lost, though one scraped by with six points and got into the club.
Kira watched the matches while using his student terminal to log into the club's assessment module, and checking the gatekeepers' info.
He took a look at each one's achievements, tournament wins, what decks and tactics they specialized in, and so on.
Once he had a general idea, Kira stood up.
It was about his turn.
"Next is Fujiki Kira, right?" the host asked. "Which upperclassman would you like to challenge?"
Kira walked onto the field and said politely, "I'd like to challenge Watanabe Shuichi, please."
Immediately, all eyes turned to him.
Watanabe Shuichi was the only gatekeeper who hadn't been challenged yet. The reason was simple: he was one of the club's mainstays and had the most impressive resume in the assessment module.
He'd been admitted to Obelisk Blue as an elite middle schooler, represented the academy in tournaments, won two major championships, and had always been a core member of the club.
Shuichi stood up in his blue uniform, put on his duel disk, and eyed Kira with interest.
He'd shown up today expecting to just fill a seat—he never thought anyone would challenge him.
Shuichi smiled, "Don't think that challenging me will make the judges go easy on you. The scoring standards won't change."
"I know. No need to hold back, senpai," Kira smiled politely.
"Good, I like your courage. The club needs people with guts...if they've got the skills."
"You'll see soon enough."
Around the arena, students started whispering.
"Is this newbie really that confident?"
"Someone challenged Shuichi? He's nuts."
"Haven't you heard? The Moonlight Cup this year—"
"No way, is the freshman really that strong?"
At that moment, maybe only Chazz, who'd been sitting next to Kira, sensed what was about to happen.
He stared wide-eyed at Kira.
He heard people around him analyzing Shuichi's strength and tactics, and almost couldn't help but speak up.
No, you guys don't get it!
Just before Kira went up, Chazz saw him scrolling through the gatekeepers' profiles, especially their decks and ace cards.
And when he got to Watanabe Shuichi, Chazz swore he saw Kira's eyes light up.
Like he'd found something interesting and couldn't wait to try it out.
Chazz didn't know what kind of shady plan Kira was cooking up, but one thing was certain:
This guy was definitely up to something!