Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 34: The Ruins Invitation

Morning, the Duel Dojo.

Kira got up early, bought some breakfast, and arrived at the dojo.

Before he could enter, he ran into Koji Sato.

Koji's eyes lit up at seeing him and he hurried over. "Senpai! You're here early today!"

"Uh, Koji, you don't have to be so formal. Just call me kouhai as usual."

"Sure thing, Senpai." Koji grinned. "You're here to see the master, right? He's inside."

Kira: "..."

He's not sure when, but somehow he's become the dojo's senpai.

Koji also signed up for Duel Academy's entrance exam but failed the written test.

Kira doesn't get how anyone could fail such an easy test, but the passing rate is pretty low. In the anime, Jaden Yuki's written score was 110th, and that was near the bottom, meaning only about a hundred passed—so it's tough.

At the master Takeuchi's office, the door is open.

He goes in and sees Takeuchi sitting in his chair, wearing a heavy VR headset, laughing lewdly, his cheeks flushed.

Kira ponders for a moment.

He figures it's probably rude to interrupt, so he quietly leaves, pretends he never came, stands outside, and knocks on the open door.

Then loudly asks, "Master, are you in?"

Inside, there's a scramble and a thump, like something fell. After a few seconds, a voice answers.

"Come in."

Kira enters, expression neutral as if nothing happened and he hasn't noticed Takeuchi's messy hair.

"Just arrived?" Takeuchi asks cautiously.

"Yeah, just got here," Kira replies calmly.

"Hm, you didn't see anything strange, right?"

"No," Kira feigns confusion, glancing around. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. I was just studying deck building." Takeuchi yawns. "Why are you here so early?"

"You asked me to come by after the exam," Kira reminds him.

Takeuchi smacks his forehead. "Oh, right. My memory's getting bad as I get older."

Kira thinks, No, master, I don't think it's age. Maybe you're just... overindulged.

Especially since, in this world, with such advanced holographic technology, it's no surprise that certain industries in Rule 43 are booming, which must be hard on the kidneys of long-time gentlemen. High-level stuff.

"Congratulations on passing. I heard your test performance was great—you didn't shame our dojo." The master laughs. "Once you're in, study hard. The revival of our style is up to you."

"I understand, Master."

"Good, good. I just wanted to see if you're interested in an opportunity.

You've probably been too busy studying to watch the news, right? Heard about the ruins in the northern suburbs?" freewebnøvel.coɱ

"Ruins?" Kira is surprised and shakes his head.

"Yeah, KaibaCorp's team discovered them, just an hour's drive from the city. Not open to the public yet, but I have a friend on the inside. If you're interested, I can take you for a visit."

Kira gets it.

Ruins with stone slabs, huh?

As everyone knows, in Yu-Gi-Oh! lore, modern dueling began with archaeology. Pegasus discovered three-thousand-year-old Duel Monster slabs in Egypt, awakening the spirits and kicking everything off.

Now, after years of development, even with advanced card-making and monster research, archaeology is still a key way for new archetypes to be born.

Even after all these years, only the tip of the ancient Duel Monster iceberg has been unearthed. Even in 5D's, new ruins are constantly being found.

And, contrary to the original belief that Duel Monsters started in ancient Egypt, later discoveries reveal ruins all over the world.

Atlantis ten thousand years ago, the Nordic gods, the Earthbound Immortals from Peru's Nazca lines, and the Crystal Beasts from an ancient country worshipping gemstone power—all came from ruins.

Karen has never seen a real ruin or stone slab, and he's interested.

Many ruins, once explored by professionals, become tourist attractions. Some duelists have even resonated with hidden spirits within them.

"Details haven't been announced publicly, but my friend says this is a pretty impressive site," Takeuchi adds.

"Master, you even have connections at KaibaCorp?" Kira realizes his master might be more powerful than he seemed.

"Heh, let's not talk about that." Takeuchi puffs up. "In my youth, I was quite someone, only later did I retire from fame and conflict."

Kira, respectfully: "Is your friend a KaibaCorp executive? Or a duelist? Can you get cards through company channels?"

Takeuchi deflates instantly.

"No, he's on the excavation team."

Kira: "..."

"Ahem, he was a great duelist but changed careers. KaibaCorp requires everyone from researchers to diggers to be duelists—by the president's order."

Kira thinks, these days, even being on the construction crew requires dueling skills.

But it makes sense. Ruins often come with supernatural dangers. Ordinary people could get hurt, but duelists face much less risk.

"Coincidentally, the city's KaibaLand is holding the White Dragon Festival soon, and our dojo will go for a group outing. My friend will be there, so you can talk to him then."

"Okay," Kira replies, then notices something odd.

Wait, there's a festival called White Dragon Festival?