Chapter 855: Chapter 828: Academy Ghost Stories
Late night, carrying out a task assigned by Professor Kobra from the Western Branch of Duel Academy, a man in a long coat set foot onto Duel Academy.
At this moment, words from Professor Kobra flashed clearly in his mind before he set off.
"Remember, although Duel Academy is nominally managed by Principal Jiaodao, it has long been the domain of that Duel King.
When you get there, try to keep a low profile, avoid trouble, and don’t attract unnecessary attention. If possible, avoid direct conflict with that Duel King; he’s not my target, do you understand?"
The man in the long coat clicked his tongue.
To be honest, he was somewhat displeased with his employer’s cautiousness, because personally, he was quite eager to face off against that Duel King.
Rumor had it that the Duel King was not only incredibly powerful but also had a peculiar fascination with collecting victims’ card decks. He had defeated various top-tier powerhouses, including invaders from the Cosmos, ancient reviving Demon Gods, and Advanced Dark Duelists renowned in the Underworld.
And without exception, those defeated by this person lost their card decks.
So, it goes without saying that this person’s resources in Rare Cards were exceedingly rich.
It was precisely such rumors that made the man in the long coat even more interested in this legendary King, because he felt that the King and he were the same type of Duelist.
Defeating strong opponents and seizing Rare Cards to become stronger—it was his usual way of doing things.
It’s just somewhat regrettable that the employer did not allow him to actively engage the Duel King. Even if he did win, the employer wouldn’t give him more compensation for it—because it violated the employer’s task requirements and fell under personal behavior.
So although he was not afraid of that Duel King, he felt that, in terms of task reward, facing such an opponent was a losing deal, and he did not want to do it.
"So this is Duel Academy, huh..."
The man in the long coat climbed onto the island and couldn’t help but mutter as he walked through the dense forest.
It was a bit different from what he imagined.
Contrary to the lively center of the Dueling Realm he had imagined, Duel Academy here felt like a grim lonely island to him. Dense and deep woods covered the island, cold moonlight shone down, and pallid light struggled to penetrate through the layers of impervious canopy, leaving mottled, ghostly patches on the ground, swaying uncertainly in the wind like specters roaming the earth.
Even a man who considered himself accustomed to large-scale events felt a chill run down his spine.
Upon taking a few more steps, he began to feel frustrated as he realized that he might have lost direction.
"Seeing ghosts."
He checked the map feeling somewhat despondent.
"This direction is correct indeed..."
Following the map’s guidance, he should have been close to passing through the forest by now. At the very least, from here, he should already have been able to see the school building, a symbol of Duel Academy.
But where were they?
Looking around, it was still a stretch of dense woods, seemingly identical to the point on the island where he first arrived. The shadows of trees grew longer in the night, weaving into a gigantic net, as if to imprison any creatures daring to step into this forbidden land.
He shook his head to dismiss the absurd ideas.
It would be nice to find a student to guide him at such a time...
As he thought of this, he appeared to spot a figure in the forest.
The man immediately approached.
"Student! Please wait..."
That petite figure slowly turned around.
The man was taken aback.
It was an exceedingly beautiful girl.
Her delicate features were almost unreal, her skin as pale as if there was no blood flowing underneath, with large eyes and long eyelashes. However, her face was frozen without any expression, almost like...
...yes, almost like a doll.
The girl stared directly at him without speaking.
"Oh... oh hello, student, I came from outside the school... as a repair personnel, the Academy reported that some equipment needs maintenance," he fabricated a lie off the cuff, "but I got lost in this forest and cannot find the direction of the school building. Could you guide me?"
The girl remained expressionless, simply staring at him.
Just when the man started to feel a bit horror-stricken, the girl slowly nodded.
Then she turned around to lead the way.
The man exhaled a sigh of relief.
With a local guiding the way, things became much easier.
So he followed the girl, the two of them progressing through the forest, one behind the other.
At first, neither of them spoke, maintaining a somewhat peculiar silence. As they proceeded, the man began to notice that the trees around seemed to be increasing in number and height, while the moonlight filtering through the canopy grew dimmer, almost vanishing.
The atmosphere was growing stranger. Occasionally, a sound like a crow’s cry echoed from outside the woods, inexplicably reminiscent of a funeral march.
He couldn’t help but ask aloud: "Student, I intend to go to the school building. Are you sure... this is the direction?"
The girl still did not respond. But by now, they had emerged from the woods, and ahead appeared a decrepit, fenced-off dormitory building.
The man frowned.
He had heard rumors about Duel Academy’s abandoned dormitory. Apparently, quite a few students had vanished there, leading to a number of ghost stories.
And right in the middle of the dilapidated dormitory courtyard, it seemed like there was... a transparent coffin?
Like something crafted from crystal, with a dreamlike texture, yet entirely transparent.
"Have you heard the legend of Duel Academy, the forbidden grounds..."
A mournful female voice sounded.
"In the abandoned dormitory, there was once a girl passionate about dueling."
"But she lacked talent, was looked down upon by teachers, and ridiculed by peers."
"In the end, she died, remaining here forever. Yet she did not vanish. Her obsession with dueling was so strong that she kept attracting more lost duelists to this place."
"Thus... she can duel with them forever and ever..."
With that, the coffin surprisingly opened by itself.
The girl inside slowly sat up, turning her head stiffly.
Then she actually revealed a shocking smile to the man.
The man in the long coat saw this and retreated two steps in surprise.
The one sitting up from the coffin turned out to be the very same girl who had just guided him!
Indeed, the girl...
With that thought, he whipped around, looking at the girl who had been behind him.
Only to see the girl at this moment, her hair in disarray, bearing the same expression as the puppet risen from the coffin, a fierce smile like a predator sizing up prey, slowly lifting the Duel Disc in her hand.
Still emitting that ethereal voice.
"Time to duel~"
The man in the long coat backed away repeatedly, hair standing on end, realizing this was the strangest situation he had ever encountered.
Was this really Duel Academy?
Could it be that outsiders were oblivious, but Duel Academy was already taken over by ghosts, already part of the Underworld’s domain?
Yet as that "ghostly girl" raised the Duel Disc, seemingly ready to approach him.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed that "ghostly girl" and hoisted her up, like a chick.
The girl’s feet left the ground, kicking in mid-air twice, then she ceased her struggle, looking up with flushed cheeks: "Master, what are you doing? I’m just working here..."
"I just received some information; a little error. This person is beyond the level you can handle."
Yugen hoisted the disheveled-haired Alice to the side, chuckling lightly.
"I didn’t expect Professor Kobra to recruit such a hidden expert... let me handle this myself."
