Several weeks had passed since Alexander had completed the prototype card of Dark Magician Girl.
The encounter with the cheerful Duel Spirit had ended up producing consequences he hadn't originally anticipated, and the most immediate one had been his own deck.
After giving it considerable thought, Alexander had decided to rebuild it almost entirely. Not because his previous strategy had become obsolete, nor because he had suddenly grown tired of Elemental HERO Neos.
Quite the opposite, as Neos remained his favourite monster and his favourite Duel Spirit.
If anything, that was precisely the problem.
The current Duel Monsters card pool simply couldn't support him.
Without Neo-Spacians, without Contact Fusion, without the countless support cards that would one day define the archetype, Neos was little more than an exceptionally powerful Normal Monster whose greatest strengths remained forever locked away.
Alexander refused to settle for that.
Whenever he thought about the future of Duel Monsters, he inevitably imagined Neos standing at the centre of it, surrounded by the companions and support cards that completed him. That vision was so clear in his mind that using the incomplete version now felt almost unfair and stifling.
One day, he would build the deck Neos truly deserved. Not an imitation, nor a compromise, but the real thing.
Until then, however, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl would become the primary engine around which the rest of his deck revolved.
The decision hadn't been particularly difficult.
Besides possessing excellent synergy with one another, the two Duel Spirits had proven themselves to be a reliable company during the prototype creation process.
Dark Magician carried himself with the quiet dignity expected of a legendary spellcaster, and he helped him realise a mistake he was making and correct it, while Dark Magician Girl was, well, Dark Magician Girl.
Power and personality.
It was difficult to ask for a better combination.
Life gradually settled back into something resembling normality.
Industrial Illusion continued moving exactly according to schedule.
Thomas Merriweather, perhaps eager to justify the confidence Alexander had placed in him as Head of Manufacturing, threw himself wholeheartedly into expanding the company's manufacturing capabilities.
Weekly reports arrived with impressive regularity.
New production facilities had been acquired, existing factories had increased their output, and distribution agreements continued to expand.
Rather than merely satisfying the demand that already existed across the United States, the company was quietly laying the groundwork for something considerably larger.
A nationwide release no longer seemed particularly ambitious, as they had almost reached that objective and Alexander's sights had already moved beyond that.
One day, Duel Monsters would spread across the entire world. Children in Europe, collectors in Asia, professional tournaments broadcast internationally. Factories capable of supplying an entire global market.
Preparation for that future simply had to begin early.
Fortunately, Thomas appeared more than capable of keeping pace with those ambitions.
Whenever Alexander reviewed another report detailing improved production efficiency or expanded logistics, he couldn't help but feel reassured that entrusting the day-to-day operations to someone competent had been the correct decision, as it allowed him to focus on problems only he could solve.
Promethean Academy, meanwhile, had become progressively less relaxing.
As the academic year slowly approached its conclusion, the teachers increased both the amount and difficulty of assignments almost weekly.
The atmosphere throughout campus noticeably changed.
Students who had once laughed freely during lunch now spent those same breaks buried beneath textbooks, study groups occupied nearly every available classroom after school, and even the library, normally peaceful, remained packed well into the evening.
The pressure became especially noticeable among the senior students, with graduation, university entrance examinations and scholarships taking most of their focus.
Every conversation seemed to revolve around one or another of those subjects.
Fortunately, Alexander and Ginny were still only freshmen.
Chuck, being a sophomore, wasn't quite facing the same pressure as the graduating class either, although his workload had still increased noticeably compared to theirs.
"Remind me again," Ginny sighed one afternoon while closing yet another textbook with considerably more force than necessary, "Why do adults insist that making children suffer somehow helps them learn?"
Chuck laughed and said, "Because they suffered too and now they want us to feel the same to perpetuate this vicious cycle."
"That's hardly reassuring."
"It isn't supposed to be."
Alexander quietly turned another page of his own book as he casually said, "There is actually some educational value in gradually increasing academic demands as it prepares the students for the more frantic pace of their adult life. On top of that, the teachers at the academy are finely balancing the amount of pressure to ensure not to completely overwhelm us..."
Ginny slowly looked up from her desk and called him out, "Alexander..."
"Yes?"
"You're helping the teachers."
"Oh... My apologies."
Chuck burst into laughter, "I can't believe you actually answered that seriously."
"I believed she was asking a genuine question."
"I was." Ginny folded her arms and added, "I just wasn't expecting a genuine answer."
Alexander considered that for a moment before giving a small nod, "That is... fair."
The three of them shared an easy laugh that drew an irritated glance from another student desperately attempting to study nearby.
Despite the increasing workload, the four of them still managed to spend most weekends together.
Julia would usually meet them somewhere around Los Angeles before the group spent the day wandering through shopping districts, watching newly released movies or simply enjoying the increasingly rare opportunity to relax.
Alexander found those outings unexpectedly pleasant.
Sometimes they would spend an hour browsing bookstores despite nobody intending to buy anything.
Other times Ginny would insist on visiting clothing stores while he and Chuck patiently carried shopping bags that grew more numerous with each stop, and Julia usually found the entire situation endlessly entertaining.
Those quiet weekends reminded him that, despite everything else occupying his attention, he was still allowed to simply be a teenager once in a while.
His own routine had changed surprisingly little.
Every few days, Roland continued driving him across various districts of Los Angeles.
Public parks. Community centres. Small hobby stores. Anywhere Duel Monsters had begun attracting attention.
Under simple disguises carefully prepared beforehand and kept in the sedan, Alexander challenged children and hobbyists alike to casual games.
Sometimes he intentionally allowed matches to remain close, wanting his opponents to enjoy themselves regardless of the outcome.
Other times he encountered surprisingly capable duelists whose unconventional strategies forced him to think far more carefully than expected.
Victory after victory gradually accumulated.
Alongside them came Duel Energy and Duel Points.
Neither resource arrived particularly quickly; however, consistency often outperformed intensity.
A handful of victories every few days slowly became dozens, dozens became hundreds and eventually his patience paid off.
~~~▽~~~
Alexander stood inside his study.
The room remained comfortably quiet.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating shelves filled with books and technical documents accumulated over the past several months, together with the materials needed to create prototype cards.
Roland quietly waited a respectful distance away.
The familiar translucent interface materialised before him.
[Ding!]
____________________________________
User Identified: Alexander Maximillion Jones
System Type: Duel Interface
Primary Functions:
• Resource Management
• Card Database
• Card Manifestation Authorisation
• YGO System Shop Access
Resources Identified:
1. Duel Energy (DE)
• Generated through duels involving the user.
• Output increases with emotional and cognitive intensity.
• Used for manifestation and high-output actions.
• Current DE: 1374
2. Duel Points (DP)
• Acquired through victory in duels.
• Used for system transactions and upgrades.
• Current DP: 513
____________________________________
Alexander allowed himself a satisfied smile while thinking, 'I have more than enough. Weeks of constant farming have finally led to this moment...'
Without wasting another second, he opened the System Shop.
An enormous catalogue immediately unfolded before him.
Upgrades. Items. Blueprints. Knowledge. And even some categories of items that still remained locked behind requirements he had yet to satisfy.
Alexander barely looked at any of them as he had been planning this purchase for weeks.
His attention immediately settled upon the desired entry.
________________________________________
– Technology: Solid Vision Knowledge
• Grants access to holographic projection principles
• Enables creation of interactive combat simulations
Effect:
• Allows projection of monsters using card data
• Converts encoded card information into visual constructs
• Enables integration with compatible devices
Note:
• Requires compatible hardware to operate
Cost: 500 DP
______________________________________
Without hesitation, Alexander almost mentally reached toward the confirmation prompt but stopped halfway when he heard his trusted butler call him out, "Hold on a moment, Master Alexander."
Alexander turned toward Roland and asked, "What is it?"
Roland maintained his usual composed posture and said, "May I ask... do you believe it wise to remain standing?"
Alexander blinked and repeated in confusion, "...Standing?"
"The item you intend to purchase." Roland gestured politely toward where he guessed the floating System window was as he added, "If my understanding is correct, it is not an object but knowledge itself, and this is the first time you buy something like this, right?"
Alexander slowly nodded, "Indeed. I already told you about it."
"In that event..." Roland continued, "...neither of us possesses any understanding regarding the method through which the System intends to deliver said knowledge."
Alexander remained silent while Roland elaborated, "If it is transferred directly into your mind, then at the very least I would expect a headache. A severe one."
He paused briefly before continuing, "At worst... temporary unconsciousness. Perhaps even something more unpleasant."
Alexander stared blankly for several seconds, then mentally cursed himself, 'Fuck! How did I overlook something so obvious?'
He had become so focused on finally obtaining Solid Vision technology that he had completely ignored the possibility that downloading an entire scientific discipline directly into his brain might involve consequences.
Shortly after realising his mistake, Alexander admitted, "You're absolutely right."
Roland inclined his head and said, "I generally try to be."
Alexander couldn't help chuckling despite himself, "I suppose you do."
Without another word, he abandoned his previous position.
By the time he reached the floor, Roland had already unfolded a towel beside the wall, making Alexander raise an eyebrow and comment, "You prepared that rather quickly."
"I considered the possibility shortly after you mentioned purchasing knowledge."
"You planned ahead... as usual..."
"It seemed prudent."
Alexander smiled faintly, "Remind me to continue listening whenever you tell me to stop."
"I shall endeavour to deserve that confidence."
Alexander settled onto the towel before leaning against the wall.
If Roland's prediction proved accurate, falling over would become considerably less of a concern.
He took one slow breath, then another.
His heartbeat quickened despite himself.
He was about to use 500 Duel Points, all invested into a single purchase.
He looked back toward the System and muttered, "...Alright."
Then he mentally confirmed the purchase.
The moment five hundred Duel Points disappeared, Alexander regretted everything as an ocean of knowledge flooded into his mind.
Not as individual memories or as words but as understanding.
Applied optics. Photonics. Holographic projection. Real-time rendering. High-speed signal processing. Spatial tracking. Embedded electronics. Precision microfabrication. Optical materials. Control systems. Data compression. Manufacturing tolerances.
Every discipline arrived complete, each concept linking seamlessly to the next.
Wave optics became coherent projection. Projection demanded precise spatial mapping. Spatial mapping became real-time rendering. Rendering became behavioural simulation. Simulation required motion prediction, collision modelling, and low-latency signal processing. Signal processing led naturally into specialised embedded hardware and precision microfabrication.
Every answer uncovered another problem that had already been solved. Every solution revealed three more innovations supporting it. His thoughts expanded outward in branching webs of understanding.
He suddenly understood why Solid Vision monsters never appeared to slide unnaturally across the ground. Thousands of microscopic positional corrections occurred every second, constantly adjusting each projection to account for the viewers' changing perspective.
Then came another revelation: The monsters were never simply animated.
Every card contained a behavioural framework that defined how its projection breathed, shifted its weight, tracked opponents, and reacted to impacts. No two creatures moved quite alike because no two simulation profiles were identical.
Before he could fully process that realisation, the torrent surged onward.
Alexander groaned as his hands instinctively rose to clutch his head.
"...Ghh..."
It wasn't pain in the traditional sense but pressure.
The overwhelming sensation of his own mind desperately attempting to reorganise itself around information no human being should absorb all at once.
Every new principle immediately unlocked another.
Wave interference became optical projection. Optical projection became energy efficiency. Energy efficiency became semiconductor architecture.
Every answer generated ten more connections, then a hundred, then thousands.
His thoughts accelerated beyond anything he had ever experienced.
Time gradually lost all meaning.
He vaguely became aware of Roland kneeling beside him.
A cool glass pressed against his hand, a damp cloth rested against his forehead.
Someone helped him adjust his position before his muscles cramped.
He understood, on some distant level, that Roland was speaking to him, but he couldn't distinguish a single word.
His entire concentration focused upon enduring the relentless torrent of information.
It felt less like learning and more like absorbing the combined education and experience of thousands of optical engineers, software architects, and systems designers in the span of a single afternoon.
Hours passed, and eventually the torrent stopped.
Silence returned.
Alexander remained seated exactly where he was, breathing heavily.
His thoughts still raced, but now they obeyed him once more instead of dragging him helplessly behind.
"...That..."
A long breath escaped him.
"...was bad..."
Another.
"... Holy shit."
"Master Alexander?"
"I'm alive... I think..."
Roland visibly relaxed, "I am pleased to hear it."
"I wasn't sure I would be."
"You were unconscious for only brief intervals."
"...Only?"
"There were several."
Alexander sighed, "Wonderful."
After remaining motionless for another minute and the dull throbbing of his head lessened, he finally opened the System once again.
Rather than returning to the Shop, he selected another section, one he had ignored ever since purchasing it months ago.
____________________________________
–Blueprints: Duel Monsters Card Microchip
____________________________________
The familiar schematics unfolded before his eyes.
Once they had been completely incomprehensible.
An endless sea of microscopic circuitry, impossible manufacturing specifications and mathematical models that may as well have been written in another language.
Now Alexander simply looked.
Every line, every connection, every microscopic transistor, every material specification, every production requirement.
He understood them perfectly.
Every microscopic circuit suddenly had a purpose.
Some pathways compressed holographic geometry. Others stored behavioural profiles, animation parameters, and synchronisation routines. Entire sections were dedicated to low-latency communication with projection hardware, while another regulated the energy distribution required to sustain a stable Solid Vision construct.
He no longer saw an impossibly complicated circuit.
He saw a language, and he was fluent.
Ideas came one after another with effortless clarity; a slow smile gradually appeared across his exhausted face before he muttered, "It worked..."
Roland stepped closer, curiosity finally overcoming his usual restraint.
Alexander slowly closed the blueprint before looking toward him and said, "I finally understand it."
He let out a quiet laugh, equal parts disbelief and exhilaration, "Roland..."
"Yes, Master Alexander?"
"I think..." He looked once more toward the invisible future only he could truly see, "...we're about to enter a completely different phase of this project."
For the first time since receiving the YGO System, Alexander no longer possessed only the means to create Duel Monsters.
He possessed the knowledge to build the technology that would allow the entire world to experience them in ways no one thought possible.
The dream of experiencing the version of Yu-Gi-Oh! he had seen in the childhood memories of his other self had taken one decisive step closer to becoming reality.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter