I’m in Marvel, but I play Yu-Gi-Oh!?

Bonus Chapter

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The changes brought by the Spiritual Awakening did not disappear after a few minutes; if anything, Alexander became increasingly aware of them with every passing second.

The world around him was the same, but there was now an additional layer beneath ordinary reality that he could vaguely perceive if he focused hard enough.

Faint flows of energy drifted through the mansion like invisible currents.

Those were the residual emotions that lingered weakly in certain places, and every now and then, at the very edge of his perception, Alexander could sense distant presences faintly connected to him moving somewhere beyond the physical world.

The Duel Spirits that live in the Spirit World.

Even after calming down, the realisation still felt surreal, yet despite the significance of what had just happened, Alexander quickly forced himself to focus.

Because there was something more important to test, and without wasting any more time, Alexander moved toward his desk before gathering the card stocks, the drawing and cutting tools, and all the required materials needed to create a prototype card.

Then he summoned the YGO System interface once more and opened the Card Database.

His gaze settled on a specific monster, a Level 6 monster. One among the many he attempted to create before and failed every single time until now.

The moment Alexander selected the card, the transparent holographic blueprint appeared in front of him then he began to work, starting by cutting the card stock and sketching the layout directly onto its surface.

His hands moved with practised precision. He measured, marked, and trimmed.

The metal ruler aligned perfectly against the edges while the craft knife slid through the material in a single smooth motion. The sound was soft but sharp inside the quiet study. After that came the border lines, the placement frame, and the proportional spacing for the artwork and text areas.

At this point, after doing it hundreds of times, the entire process was engraved into his muscle memory.

In only a few minutes, the foundation of the card was complete, but now came the difficult part, the artwork itself.

Alexander rolled his shoulders once before lowering himself back into the chair. The pencil rested between his fingers as he stared at the blank centre of the card for several long seconds.

Then he began, and the familiar pressure returned almost immediately, only this time it felt weaker.

Still present, still heavy, but no longer crushing.

The suffocating dread that had once forced him to stop never appeared. His chest tightened slightly, yet his thoughts remained clear, uninterrupted, which immediately confirmed his theory, 'As I thought... the problem was never technical skill. It was compatibility, or perhaps better said, capacity. Before, my spirit simply couldn't withstand the budding connection with Level 6 and above Duel Spirits.'

A slow breath escaped him as he realised, 'But now things are different. I can do this.'

Alexander narrowed his eyes and fully focused on the artwork.

The pencil moved carefully across the card surface.

Light construction lines appeared first as basic geometry, guiding angles, and proportional anchors. He kept the pressure soft, almost feather-light, allowing the graphite to glide rather than scrape. Once the structure stabilised, he began reinforcing the important lines little by little.

Line after line. Detail after detail.

The image gradually emerged from the blank surface, and as it did, Alexander's newly awakened spiritual senses detected something deeply unnatural.

The pressure was very real, and it existed beyond the physical world itself.

Every completed line strengthened a connection extending somewhere far beyond reality, like invisible threads piercing through layers of existence. Something on the other side had noticed his attempt, and it was watching while patiently waiting.

Alexander's hand trembled slightly as he added finer details around the eyes of the figure. The moment the expression became complete, the pressure in the room noticeably deepened.

The lights near the bookshelf briefly flickered; the temperature dropped by several degrees; even the air itself seemed denser, harder to breathe.

Alexander paused briefly and flexed his fingers.

His knuckles hurt.

A dull ache had begun spreading from his wrist to his forearm from maintaining such precise control for so long. Sweat slowly gathered near his temples despite the cold in the room; still, he continued.

The pencil strokes became slower now, more deliberate.

Crosshatching. Layering shadows. Carefully adjusting depth and contrast to give the artwork volume.

Each added detail strengthened the presence beyond the veil.

At some point, Alexander realised he could feel the presence reacting like a predator slowly approaching bait.

The pressure pressing against his mind intensified with every passing minute. It no longer felt like something distant; it felt close.

For a brief moment, the pencil tip snapped against the card.

Alexander froze.

The heaviness in the room immediately surged, and a low ringing filled his ears as if reality itself disliked the interruption.

He silently replaced the pencil and continued drawing, more carefully this time.

The atmosphere inside the study grew steadily heavier over the next hour.

Occasionally, Alexander thought he saw his surroundings suddenly change at the edge of his vision, but every time he glanced toward it, there was nothing but his usual study there.

Still, he endured because, unlike before, he could now withstand the connection.

The strain was immense, but manageable.

His spiritual senses had awakened, and his body was no longer collapsing under the burden of contact.

So Alexander continued drawing, completely focused.

Time slowly passed.

The rough sketch became clean linework, the linework became shading, the shading became form, and finally came the colouring.

He opened the caps of the paint markers one by one, carefully testing the colours on a blank page. The tip moved with painstaking control across the card surface, layering colour gradually instead of saturating it all at once.

Too much ink would warp the card, but too little would weaken the image.

More importantly, Alexander instinctively understood that balance itself mattered spiritually as the artwork needed harmony to form a stable and coherent medium.

As the final colours settled into place, the pressure reached its peak.

The entire study felt silent as though the world itself were holding its breath.

Alexander could feel the presence clearly now; it was watching him from the other side of the connection, waiting for the artwork and the card to be completed.

Minutes later, after one final careful stroke, Alexander slowly lifted the brush away from the card.

The artwork was complete.

Alexander took a step back and admired the result of his effort, the legendary monster Summoned Skull.

Even among the countless creatures of Yu-Gi-Oh!, this one carried unmistakable weight and presence.

Alexander still remembered that in the original manga, before inheriting the Dark Magician, this monster had essentially been Yugi's ace, which naturally gave it significance.

And now, staring at the completed prototype card resting before him, Alexander could genuinely feel that weight pressing against reality itself.

The completed artwork depicted a towering purple demon figure with bone-like armour covering its body. Its skeletal face and glowing green eyes stared outward with terrifying intensity.

And somehow, despite existing only as a drawing, it almost looked alive.

Alexander slowly smiled and muttered, "I did it... I was able to complete it. Now, it's time for the most crucial part."

Then, immediately after saying that, he activated the next step as he willed the YGO System to begin compatibility verification and the Duel Spirit binding process.

The YGO System responded instantly.

[Ding!]

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[Analysing prototype card... Complete.]

[Evaluating prototype card... Complete.]

[Congratulations.]

[The prototype card "Summoned Skull" is compatible.]

[Connecting to the Spirit World...]

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The moment the final line appeared, the space above the card distorted violently.

A circular portal slowly opened in the air itself as a cold yet charged energy spilt outward from within, then a figure appeared beyond the opening.

It was massive, towering, its presence overwhelming.

Summoned Skull.

The demon stood with its arms crossed while crackling arcs of dark lightning danced around its enormous frame.

Its glowing eyes stared directly toward Alexander, and strangely, it almost looked like it had been expecting him.

For a brief moment, Alexander completely froze, not out of fear exactly but sheer awe.

Because despite everything that had happened until now, the Duel Spirit that stood before him felt completely different from all the others he had faced until now, its sheer presence was immense.

Even after the recent upgrade, Alexander could feel the pressure radiating from it.

It felt heavy, ancient, and dangerous, but still, Alexander eventually steadied himself before taking a slow breath. Then he spoke, starting by introducing himself, "Hello. My name is Alexander Jones. Nice to meet you."

Summoned Skull simply stared in silence, but Alexander could sense that it was allowing him to continue, so he started to explain, "I'm creating a card game in my world that allows me and other people to connect with the Duel Spirits of the Spirit World. The reason for that is that I'll need the power of the Duel Spirits to ensure my own survival and those of the people I care about, as my world is an extremely dangerous one."

Alexander paused for a moment before he added, "Of course, survival isn't my only objective; I also hope to change my world and make it a better place where conflicts could be resolved through exciting duels instead of violence... Sure, it will be difficult, maybe even impossible, but I won't give up, and with the power of the Duel Spirits and enough passion, maybe even the impossible can become possible!"

Then, he exhaled to steady his racing heart and said, "Naturally, I won't request your help without giving anything back. For each card used in a duel, you'll be able to gain a certain amount of Duel Energy that you can use to sustain and empower yourself." 

As he spoke, Summoned Skull remained completely silent, listening, watching, and judging.

Alexander could not even begin to guess what the spirit was thinking.

Once he finally finished, silence filled the study for several long seconds.

Then Summoned Skull spoke, its voice sounded deep and distorted, almost like thunder echoing across a storm, "I see... This is not the first time a human has sought power through us."

Alexander's expression sharpened slightly while thinking, 'Interesting and worrying... Could it be talking about people like Atem, Pegasus, and the others from the Yu-Gi-Oh! animes...?'

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Alexander asked, "So there were others?"

However, the Spirit ignored the question entirely and said, "Like all those before you," Summoned Skull paused a bit, then continued, "You must prove yourself worthy."

The pressure in the room intensified slightly, then suddenly Summoned Skull extended one clawed hand.

Dark energy gathered instantly, and a Duel Monsters deck materialised within its grasp.

Alexander's eyes widened, and for a brief moment his brain completely stalled; then realisation hit him, making him say, "…You're challenging me to a duel."

The Spirit's glowing eyes narrowed slightly as it said, "Yes."

The next instant, the world around Alexander distorted violently while the study vanished as Darkness swallowed everything.

Alexander instinctively stumbled backwards before suddenly finding himself standing elsewhere entirely.

A vast ruined landscape stretched endlessly beneath a black sky filled with purple lightning.

The air itself pulsed with Spirit Energy.

And standing across from him was Summoned Skull, now fully manifested within its own world.

Alexander stared around himself in complete disbelief as he realised, 'Whoa...! This is the Spirit World. An actual Duel Spirit Dimension...'

For a few seconds, awe completely overwhelmed him because this was the kind of thing he had only ever seen in anime, manga, or fiction, and now he was standing inside it himself.

The realisation should have terrified him, yet Alexander felt excitement surge through his entire body.

Pure excitement. A dangerous, childish, unrestrained excitement.

A grin slowly spread across his face, then, without hesitation, Alexander reached for his own deck.

The cards felt strangely alive in his hands as he sensed the Spirit Energy pulse around them faintly.

Across from him, Summoned Skull's massive wings slowly spread apart while dark lightning illuminated the ruined battlefield.

And at that moment, Alexander genuinely felt like he had stepped into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! itself.

His grin widened further.

Then, with absolutely zero shame or restraint, he pointed dramatically toward his opponent while declaring, "It's time to duel!"

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