MTLNOVEL Chapter 20: TST [20]
"Huh? Morgan's luck is the worst… she actually got paired against Zion!"
"Making the class bottom duel the top student? That's brutal!"
"Running into Zion is bad luck, and drawing Morgan is good luck. Didn't expect luck and misfortune to show up together!"
"Heard Morgan failed the last two exams, too. If she fails this one again, she's toast!"
With such a rare matchup, the crowd immediately turned their attention to the Duel.
Morgan vs. Zion had instantly become the center of everyone's focus.
Hearing the comments, Jade glared angrily at those around her.
Morgan had beaten Isla—there's no way she'd lose to some nerd!
Crossing her arms, she shouted loud cheers for Morgan, totally drowning out the other voices around her.
Isla, too, watched intently. As much as she cared about Morgan when it came to Dueling, she was absolutely focused.
She was genuinely curious—could Morgan beat Zion, the number one ranked student?
Even Milo was drawn in by the stir, his gaze pulled toward the match.
"Hey, student—what's special about this Duel? Everyone seems really into it."
He stopped a boy who had just finished his own match.
Starstruck at being addressed by his idol, the boy enthusiastically explained everything he knew.
"It's all because of Morgan—she's our school's famous bottom-ranker! Couldn't even handle a Duel Skateboard. She broke her leg in a Speed Duel two months ago and only just came back."
'Two months ago?'
That was around the time the mysterious duelist first appeared.
Milo froze, then shook his head.
The bottom of Duel Academy... is the mysterious virtual duelist? No way. Probably just a coincidence.
"And that glasses guy she's dueling is Zion… number one in our year. You can see why this is an eye-catching match, right?"
Milo set his thoughts aside, now understanding the buzz. Still, he felt a little disappointed.
He thought he had a lead, but was back to square one—was the mysterious duelist even in this Academy?
...
On the field, Morgan and Zion stood face-to-face.
Zion gave her a disdainful glance.
"I was hoping to duel Isla or someone decent this exam. Even tuned my Deck for it. But you? Total letdown."
"Let's just get this over with."
He sighed.
As a top student in both written and practical exams, Zion only kept an eye on the top tier.
So he worked hard to defend his number one spot. With his current strength, he could probably go toe-to-toe with Gold-ranked duelists.
He had expected a tough match today.
But this was going to be easy.
A smug grin spread across his face—first place was his for sure.
Morgan looked at her opponent oddly, sliding her Duel Disk onto her arm. He was smiling way too much.
And he said he wanted to duel Isla? That meant he must be high-ranking, huh?
Well, Morgan didn't really care. In the end, a duel is a duel.
She responded to Zion with a bright, gentle smile.
Under Mr. Grant's supervision, both Duel Disks activated, and they each drew five cards.
A coin toss decided Zion would go first.
"My turn. Draw!"
As expected from a top student, Zion's Deck matched his personality perfectly.
"I Normal Summon Alpha the Electromagnet Warrior in Attack Position!"
[Alpha the Electromagnet Warrior] Level 4│EARTH│Rock│1700 ATK
Amid crackling energy, a glowing magnetic warrior appeared on Zion's field.
"First turn and Zion's already out with his Magnet Warriors!"
"No wonder he's a top student—those Magnet chains are way too complex for me!"
"So jealous. Even the Deck takes brains to play!"
Hearing the admiration around him, Zion closed his eyes and soaked it in. Part of why he kept top grades was for this praise.
Isla, however, watched with a serious look. She knew Magnet Decks well. Their chains were complicated but highly stable, with few weaknesses.
Back then, she had lost to Zion because she couldn't break through his defenses.
She wondered how Morgan would handle it.
"I activate Alpha's effect!"
"When summoned: Add 1 Level 8 'Magna Warrior' monster from Deck to hand."
"I add Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior to my hand!"
This was one of Zion's aces—a powerful card that could reliably destroy other cards when summoned.
"I Set one card. Turn end."
Zion flashed a confident smile. On Morgan's turn, he planned to Tribute Alpha and meet the summon condition for Berserkion—Victory was within reach.
"My turn. Draw."
Morgan casually drew a card. No matter what Deck she faced, her Underworld playstyle never changed.
Didn't matter.
He could destroy one card. But what if there were five?
"I Set five cards. Turn end."
Zion blinked.
So did the entire audience.
...
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