"Have you figured out the pattern? And you—where do you think you stand?" Asuka Tenjoin looked back and asked.
"Hard to say."
You Feng shrugged nonchalantly.
"You clearly have the insight for it. With your strength, you must be on the list. Let me guess—somewhere between rank 20 and 30! The top is probably around 20; it doesn't get much higher than that."
Asuka mused aloud, thinking deeply as she made her assessment.
You Feng simply smiled, offering no comment.
[Duel King Gold List – Overall Strength Rank: 40]
[Name: Jim "Crocodile" Cook]
[Affiliation: Southern Branch, Duel Academy]
[Representative Deck: Fossil Fusion]
[Yu-Gi-Oh! Six Strength Factors — Suppression: 72, Disruption Resistance: 68, Luck: 60, Deck Synergy: 75, Defense: 70, Strategy: 70]
[Total Strength Score: 415]
[Rewards: Defense +8, Synergy +8, Random Fossil Deck Cards ×3]
As the updated Duel King Gold List was announced that day, Duel Academy erupted in applause once again.
"It's Duel Academy again… but where exactly is this Southern Branch?"
Asuka felt genuinely pleased that another Duel Academy duelist made the list. Still, she seemed uncertain about this branch campus.
"You don't even know Duel Academy has several branches?" You Feng responded calmly.
"And you do?" Asuka raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, yeah. I do." You Feng gave a carefree shrug.
---
Author's Note:
Seventh chapter upload from yesterday! Want more? Send free flower votes! 1000 flowers = one bonus chapter! 10 monthly passes = another! 20 comments = one more!
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---
Chapter 39: A Global Frenzy—Duel King Gold List Ignites a New Peak! (4/5 Updates! Vote Now!)
"What do you even know?" Asuka wasn't taking him seriously.
This guy had just enrolled at Duel Academy—how could he possibly know what even she hadn't been told?
But then You Feng's next words gave her pause.
"Duel Academy has four satellite branches—East, West, North, and South. Each has a representative."
"Jim is the rep from the South Branch."
"Yusuke Fujiwara is from the East Branch."
"Axel Brodie represents the West."
"And Jesse Anderson holds down the North."
You Feng's tone was unusually earnest.
Asuka frowned, not fully convinced. "Sounds legit, I guess."
"I almost believed you for a second."
You Feng shrugged. If she didn't believe him, it wasn't his problem.
---
Duel Academy — Chancellor Sheppard's Office
"Ha! Yet another Duel Academy student makes the list."
Chancellor Sheppard beamed with pride.
"Mamma mia! Who knew the branch reps were this strong?"
"Fortieth place already, and that's just the start."
"The Academy's reputation has clearly gone global," Professor Chronos de Medici chuckled with his usual flair.
"I wonder how the other school reps rank... it's getting exciting," Sheppard mused.
---
Southern Duel Academy Campus
Jim "Crocodile" Cook wasn't smiling. He had seen his name hit the list.
"Fortieth? That's it?"
"The other three guys are definitely getting listed soon…"
He looked down, frustration bubbling. "This just doesn't sit right. I'm not satisfied."
---
Satellite Sector — Security Bureau
"Duel Academy again..."
Rex Godwin rubbed his temples in the dimly lit office.
"The satellite areas are falling behind."
This imbalance in the tri-region system was beginning to concern even him.
And the duelists living in those areas?
"They've got it rough, day after day..." Yugo muttered, shaking his head in resignation.
---
A Desolate Street — Satellite Zone
Kiyanagi Kyosuke sped through the shadows on his D-Wheel, eyes reflecting the glow of the ancient gold scroll projected in the sky.
He smirked with chilling intensity.
"Let the whole Battle Academy gold list fall before my Eternal Fire deck!"
His laugh turned sharp, echoing off the walls.
Wrapped in a tattered black cloak, he rode with eerie confidence.
He didn't respect the ranked duelists.
Those rankings only reflected personal dueling prowess.
But he had something else—an Earthbound Immortal.
No matter how high those duelists ranked, he was confident in his deck's supremacy.
A gold listing didn't necessarily mean deck mastery.
A true deck required synergy, precision, and elite resources.
Kiyanagi Kyosuke knew this better than anyone.
He would etch his Eternal Fire deck into their nightmares.
"Heh… hehahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!"
His D-Wheel tore through the satellite streets, his mad laughter trailing behind like smoke.
---
Domino City — KaibaCorp HQ
"The Southern Branch again… and still just a satellite campus?"
Kaiba Seto narrowed his eyes at the list's display.
This time, he was composed.
"How many more are they hiding?"
---
[Duel King Gold List – Overall Strength Rank: 39]
[Name: Axel Brodie]
[Affiliation: Duel Academy, Western Branch]
[Representative Deck: Volcanic Monsters]
[Yu-Gi-Oh! Six Strength Factors — Suppression: 78, Disruption Resistance: 75, Luck: 60, Deck Synergy: 71, Defense: 62, Strategy: 73]
[Total Strength Score: 419]
[Rewards: Defense +8, Synergy +8, Random Volcanic Deck Cards ×3]
The moment his name was revealed, the world exploded into frenzy.
"NANI?!"
"What's happening?! Another Battle Academy student? From the Western Branch this time?"
"Duel Academy is unstoppable! How many have made the list so far?!"
"The satellite sector is losing badly. Aren't they down to just one person?"
"Where should we go to learn dueling now? The answer's obvious—Duel Academy!"
"The satellite zone? Not even worth stepping into!"
Duelists everywhere were in a frenzy. The Duel King Gold List was stirring up waves across the three regions.
Duel Academy was in the global spotlight.
Meanwhile, Domino City followed closely behind.
And the duelists in the satellite zone?
They had almost completely given up hope.
Were they truly this hopeless?
Or were the strongest just still hiding?
The one most shocked of all was Asuka Tenjoin!