The entire afternoon had completely changed Irena's perception of Aisha.
To be more specific, it had completely changed her perception of Aisha's understanding of dueling.
Irena had almost watched the entire process of how Aisha used those 100 spell points.
Originally, Irena had planned to guide and assist Aisha with the 100 spell points she had borrowed at great risk. But in the end, she realized she had overthought it.
Throughout the afternoon, every single magic and trap card Aisha chose to craft left even a duelist of Irena's caliber exclaiming, "You can play like this?"
By the time Aisha had exhausted all her spell points and completed crafting her magic and trap cards, Irena could only summarize it with one word—perfect.
Those cards were undoubtedly the most compatible with Aisha's current deck among the vast sea of D-rank cards.
Even if Irena had chosen them herself, she wouldn't have done a better job.
After witnessing Aisha's spell crafting process, Irena was pleasantly surprised to think that even with a deck full of weak monsters, Aisha might have a chance to defeat Kevin Seto, the strongest first-year duelist.
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Inside Fiona's Magic Restaurant, the entire room was in an uproar.
After Irena suggested that Kevin might lose to Aisha in tomorrow's duel, almost every student in the restaurant stopped what they were doing.
Was this a joke? What kind of act was this?
If an ordinary person had made such a claim, it would have sparked laughter, filling the restaurant with a lively atmosphere, and everyone would have enjoyed their meals even more.
But this was the Gray Witch Irena, one of the strongest second-year duelists at Fusion Academy.
To doubt her judgment, you'd first have to weigh whether you were even qualified to do so.
"Senior Irena, are you saying I might lose tomorrow's duel?"
With an icy expression, Kevin looked even more serious than usual.
"Pretty much, yeah."
Popping a cherry tomato from her salad into her mouth, Irena, who had caused such a stir, seemed completely at ease.
"Maintaining a 100% win rate in practical duels must be stressful, Kevin. Losing sooner might actually make things easier for you. You know, even your brother and I couldn't keep a 100% win rate back then."
After all, during their first year, Irena and Kaima Seto had been fierce rivals. Maintaining a 100% win rate wasn't easy for either of them.
"No, I won't lose!" Kevin's expression grew even more serious. "I'll prove that I'm better than my brother. If that's all you wanted to say, Senior Irena, then I'll take my leave."
With that, Kevin turned and left. Not to return to his table to finish his meal, but to exit Fiona's Magic Restaurant entirely.
"S-Senior Irena!" Only after Kevin had left did Aisha, belatedly, realize the gravity of the situation. "Why did you deliberately provoke Kevin? Now I'm in even more danger!"
Originally, Aisha had been hoping that Kevin Seto might underestimate her, giving her a better chance of winning.
But after Irena's provocation, Kevin seemed even more serious than usual.
Irena calmly replied, "Even if I hadn't provoked him, Kevin would never have underestimated you. The pressure of maintaining a 100% win rate at the academy means he gives his all in every duel. So there's no such thing as underestimating an opponent."
Aisha asked skeptically, "Then why did you go out of your way to warn Kevin?"
"To add a little more pressure to him. Especially when I mentioned his brother just now..." Irena brought her index finger and thumb close together, indicating a small distance.
"Kevin is too arrogant. Maybe it's because of his family, but the relationship between the Seto brothers is much more complicated than you might think. 'I must be better than my brother'—this isn't just motivation for Kevin; it's become his inner demon."
"Senior, what are you trying to say?"
"Because of this arrogance, tomorrow's Kevin might overexert himself. That's your opportunity."
The idea that Aisha had a chance to win was something Irena would never have entertained before this afternoon.
However, after witnessing the process of Aisha crafting her cards, Irena decided to take a gamble and do everything she could to help her.
A first-year student with such an understanding of dueling—this battle might be the turning point for her rebirth.
If she could break through this barrier, Aisha Yuna Carlos might one day become one of the top duelists at Fusion Academy.
On the way back to the dorm after dinner, Irena mysteriously leaned closer to Aisha.
"Here, take this card, Aisha."
"A card?"
Seeing Irena suddenly pull out a card and hand it to her, Aisha's slender body trembled slightly.
—A tradable card.
In the Elven Continent, there existed a type of card even rarer than those obtained through crafting—cards that could be freely traded and used between duelists.
Monster cards, which bind to the duelist upon summoning, and magic/trap cards, which bind upon crafting, can only become tradable cards under two circumstances.
The first is when a sufficiently powerful duelist passes away, and their most cherished card is preserved, becoming a part of history.
Such cards are almost impossible to come by for ordinary people. Even many nobles find it difficult to obtain them.
The second, though more common than the first, has a much darker origin.
A type of duel known as the "Dark Game" allows the winner to take one card from the loser. That card then becomes a "tradable card."
Currently, the laws of various countries on the continent strictly prohibit "Dark Games."
Rumors say that those who lose in a Dark Game either die or have their souls corrupted by darkness, leaving them mentally impaired.
Yet, despite this, there are still those who engage in Dark Games, seeking to profit by stealing cards.
After all, highly rare tradable cards, such as [Monster Reborn] or [Pot of Greed], fetch prices on the black market that even most nobles can't afford.
"Is this really okay, Senior Irena?" Aisha quickly pressed Irena's hand holding the card down, nervously glancing around.
Taking out such a card in the academy was far too dangerous.
"Don't worry, Aisha. This card's origin isn't what you're imagining."
Smiling, Irena gently held Aisha's cold hand, realizing that Aisha must have mistaken the card for one circulating on the black market.
"This card was left to me by my grandmother. I think it would be more fitting for you to use it now than for me."
"A card left by your grandmother? Something so precious..."
Only after understanding that this wasn't a black market card did Aisha feel somewhat at ease, accepting the card from Irena's hand.
On the card's surface was a cute girl with long blue hair, holding a giant key-shaped staff, her face adorned with a gentle smile.
[Witch of the Star Chalice ★★ Water]
[Spellcaster Type ATK: 0 DEF: 2100]
A 2-star normal monster with no effects and 0 attack points. However, its defense was absurdly high for a 2-star monster, which were typically considered weak.