Chapter 48
Translator: True Detective
## Chapter 48
**10. You May Cry (5)**
TCG... that is, the card game appearing inside 「King of Duels」 was something boasting a degree of freedom not really lagging behind even when compared to open-world games.
Naturally, anyone who had played TCGs on Earth in their youth couldn't help but harbor this question.
TCG is a game with a high degree of freedom?
Does that make sense?
As a result, what degree of freedom is there in a game where the goal is to summon a damn strong monster and reduce all the opponent's life?
Well, the direction of that question wasn't wrong.
However, the ‘degree of freedom’ mentioned here was strictly the degree of freedom in the aspect of ‘Deck Building’.
At least in terms of the freedom to construct a deck, the TCG in 「King of Duels」 boasted tremendous freedom.
Because players of the game... that is, Duelists could construct their decks as much as they wanted in their desired direction.
For example, ‘WhiteLotusCultIsNotADemonicCult’, that is, the White Lotus Cult Leader valued power and put a considerable number of monsters with extremely high attack power into her deck.
Those who take pride in their own species like Tina used to enjoy using a deck that only included a specific species.
Because the charm of TCG was that even doing so, one could turn the tide of battle as much as they wanted with a combination of various Mystery cards and Surprise cards.
Even trash cards can be utilized as much as one wants depending on the user's intelligence and strategy.
Looking only up to here, one might think TCG is a game with a golden balance where there is almost no need to spend money—although pack opening itself was an act that costs money in the first place—but.
Right here, the wicked Stop Lurker beyond measure planted by Seo-jin ended up activating.
“Sacrificing two monsters on the field, I summon 「Black-Eyed Red Dragon」!”
“Oh-oh, is it finally being summoned! Baron Ludrick's ace... 「Black-Eyed Red Dragon」!”
“Baron-nim must be intending to settle the match here! To summon 「Black-Eyed Red Dragon」 which he said wasn't even worth showing to ordinary opponents!”
“This is the end, young lady! The victory of this duel seems to be mine!”
The salon where intellectuals of the Empire are gathered.
Like a gathering place of dogs gluttonously indulging in culture and arts, currently the 「King of Duels」 TCG was trending in full swing here.
A brain game for intellectuals that requires profound strategy the deeper you dig, even though it had rules simple beyond measure.
Because they thought this exactly was a game truly fitting for them who are leading the culture and arts of the Empire.
And right now, within this salon, a duel to determine the ‘Strongest’ of TCG was in progress.
The 「Black-Eyed Red Dragon」 currently summoned by Baron Ludrick is the phantom rare card itself whose attack power is at a high-class level.
If an ordinary monster is summoned on the field, it would merely turn into ashes in front of that terrifying attack power!
However.
“Fufu.... Will it really be so?”
“...What did you say?”
After Count Celine, who was no different from the ruler of the salon, fell into a resting middle-aged man, the noble young lady ‘Ren’ who rapidly started to show prominence here opened her mouth making a meaningful smile.
“I too will sacrifice two monsters... and summon 「Black Magician」!”
Simultaneously as Ren's line echoed throughout the entire salon, people ended up looking at her with astonished eyes.
“T-This can't be!”
“「Black Magician」! That's the ace card used by the protagonist in 「King of Duels」! In the setting, the card symbolizing the bond handed down to him by the protagonist's grandfather!”
“How on earth did you get that card which is extremely rare for anyone to have because the inclusion rate per pack is less than 0.1%?”
“Young lady! Do you perhaps have any intention to sell that card to me? I will give you as much money as you want! I beg you please!”
Actually witnessing that card in reality which they only witnessed in the anime, the eyes of the people in this place completely turned upside down.
Because the resonance of ‘the ace card used by the protagonist’ was in itself something that aroused a powerful purchasing impulse in humans.
Besides, the attack power of ‘Black Magician’ is a whopping 2500.
A card situated in the highest rank of attack and defense power among magicians, even surpassing phantom rare cards...!
With a card that caught both coolness and practicality right in front of their eyes, it was also impossible for people's eyes not to roll!
Like that, the people in the salon were looking at her with truly envious eyes but.
However, sadly, Ren's flexing didn't end with this, but it seemed the full-scale start was from now on.
Because the card 「Black Magician」 she truly majestically summoned... had a somewhat different appearance from ordinary cards.
“Wait, the 「Black Magician」 the young lady just put down.... Is it my imagination? Doesn't it look like the card is glowing for some reason?”
“Hey, what are you talking about? The 'Enchantment Impossible' spell formula is applied to the cards Cup Noodle-Zwa is selling right? It's impossible to cast magic on them.”
“No, it's not magic or anything! It's really glowing! From that card!”
“T-This can't be! How on earth...? And by what means...?”
It was something completely incomprehensible according to common sense but.
The 「Black Magician」 Ren put down had a distinctly different appearance from ordinary cards.
The entire card was surrounded by a golden color, and it went without saying that it was emitting a soft light for some reason.
In addition to that, depending on the angle the light shined, the illustration was even causing an illusion as if moving like 3D.
No matter how you looked at it, from its breed it was different from ordinary cards, a card seemingly proving that the seeds of kings and nobles are indeed separate!
“Y-Young lady? T-That card on earth is...?”
Even the Baron who possessed the rare card 「Black-Eyed Red Dragon」 looked at her with trembling eyes.
Ren opened her mouth with an expression making her feel superior for some reason.
“Ah-ah... Don't tell me everyone didn't know? The fact that in the TCG cards Cup Noodle-Zwa released, there was something called ‘Rarity’...?”
“...Rarity?”
“What is that...?”
Rarity?
You mean there was another hidden element besides just the stronger the card, the lower the inclusion rate in the pack?
“The majority of TCG cards are N rank... that is, merely Normal, but some cards receive a rank called Rare.”
Up to there is a fact everyone knows.
Because the 「Black-Eyed Red Dragon」 the Baron has right now also had a rank called Rare.
“However going one step further from there, extremely few cards are given the rank UR... that is, Ultra Rare, you know? Just like this... 「Black Magician」 I have.”
“...!”
They couldn't possibly believe it.
It's the card the protagonist used in the animation.
As if having the strongest attack power as a magician card wasn't enough.
It even had a hidden rarity called Ultra Rare that stimulates the purchasing impulse of the viewer on top of that?
“I want to have it...! I want to have it too...!”
“Damn it! As a Duelist, wouldn't it be the same as having no human rights if you don't have an Ultra Rare...!”
“Frustrating, too resentful beyond measure! Why is it that I don't have a card with such amazing rarity!”
“It doesn't matter how much money it costs! I won't care about the type of card either! If anyone brings a card with Ultra Rarity to the Marquis of Kress family, I will definitely give a reward fitting for it!”
It was so.
Exactly this is one of Earth's wicked civilizations beyond measure that landed on all dimensions along with TCG, Gacha!
Just like countless gamers on Earth burst their heads and bank account balances together to pull SSR characters.
Otherworlders' heads also ended up breaking in their desire to get their hands on a brilliantly shining Ultra Rare card!
“It is impossible for 「Black-Eyed Red Dragon」, which is merely a Rare card, to beat the Ultra Rare 「Black Magician」.... Disappear.”
“Kuaaaack! For me, for me to be defeated!”
Like that, Ren easily defeated the enemy borrowing the power of the Ultra Rare card 「Black Magician」, then left the salon with an expression saying it's so boring she wants to die.
“Phew... With this, the strongest TCG player in the Empire has become exactly Us.”
She reached the position of the strongest she desired so much, but Ren didn't feel the emotion of joy at all.
Because, it was boring.
The card game called TCG is the game that makes her interest spring up the most among all the games the Empress has played until now.
As such, she was hoping for a duel with a Duelist of overwhelming skill, just like the protagonist of 「King of Duels」 or the rival who wields 「White-Eyed Blue Dragon」.
A duel with an opponent possessing such skill that she can never break even if she uses all her strength!
“It seems Us has become too strong. We didn't know that being strong would become a sin....”
The fact that there is no higher place to climb, was it this hollow and lonely-
Like that, the Empress sighed and accessed Seo-jin's channel to check if perhaps the next episode of 「King of Duels」 was uploaded.
“...Hmm?”
The next moment, reading a certain notice uploaded on the channel, she ended up shining her eyes.
“Targeting the strongest of all dimensions... going to hold a Duel Tournament?”
Besides, the ‘Prize’ hung as the reward for this event was something of a different class from before.
System Notification
[To the person who wins this Duel Tournament, I will grant the wish you desire within the scope of my ability!]
“...Wish Ticket?”
Currently Cup Noodle-Zwa is beyond the level of a mere streamer, an influencer with tremendous influence capable of infinitely supplying cheat keys called Earth's culture.
As such, the right to make a wish to Cup Noodle-Zwa was something hard to get even for the ruler of a nation but.
The Empress was somewhat more interested in the other side rather than the word Wish Ticket.
「Yes, Yoplait-nim. What exactly is your business?」
“Jin. A question I'm asking just in case. Are you also participating in this Duel Tournament?”
「Yes. Since I am the host of the event, I plan to participate in one or two matches but...?」
“Then, I have a personal favor I want to ask Jin.”
The Empress opened her mouth towards him with a very excited voice.
“When participating in this tournament... could you use the original deck you used on Earth?”
「...Yes?」
“Currently my skill is something close to the strongest in the Empire, no, across all dimensions. At this point, I want to taste at least once what level of skill Earth's Duelists have.”
「...No, that's a bit-」
On the outside, she was speaking as if she was the challenger but.
Actually, the Empress thought she would win in the duel against Seo-jin.
Because she holds a phantom rare card like 「Black Magician」.
And she put powerful Mystery cards like 「Brainwashing」 or 「Raigeki」 into her deck.
With her deck full of these powerful performance cards, how could she lose?
Look, isn't Jin also trying to stop her continuously perhaps flustered?
Therefore the victory of this duel.
Us will take it, Cup Noodle-Zwa.
Imagining that in her head, the Empress ended up making a happy smile.
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