Otaku Translation: The villain only wants to live a Buddhist life Chapter 443

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Chapter 443: The Return of Dark Demon to the Duel

The assessment for the Dueling Class was held in Dueling Hall No. 1.

Professor Pavar Jones, dressed in her usual crisp attire, arrived at Dueling Hall No. 1 well before one o'clock in the afternoon. Accompanying her were Professor Cazer, Silver, and Lily from the first-year faculty.

Professor Cazer, intrigued by the facilities of the dueling hall, casually asked, "Professor Jones, what format will this assessment follow?"

Jones crossed her arms and replied, "Of course, it's the Rookie League format. Not everyone in the first year is Dark Demon, you know. Gathering twenty useful magic cards by the end of the term is already quite an achievement."

Professor Lily immediately lifted her head with pride, her nose high in the air. "Exactly!"

Silver, on the other hand, asked more seriously, "Pavar, since you've asked us to grade the students, surely you have detailed scoring criteria prepared?"

Jones smiled and nodded. "Of course."

But just as Silver’s expression softened, Jones added, "Your evaluations are the best standard."

Silver’s face darkened instantly, and even Professor Cazer was taken aback. Only Professor Lily seemed rather pleased.

"Fine," Silver said helplessly. "Since we still have time, let’s work out a grading standard together."

Cazer glanced suspiciously at Jones, whose carefree demeanor was unmistakable. "Professor Jones, this isn't the effect you wanted to achieve, is it?"

Jones quickly waved her hands. "How could I? I genuinely trust you all!"

...

While the four professors hastily drafted the rules, the first-year students, despite their fatigue, made their way to Dueling Hall No. 1.

The consecutive setbacks in three exams had left some students feeling more discouraged than ever. What was once an eagerly anticipated duel assessment now seemed utterly unappealing. Perhaps no one had expected beforehand that these practical exams would turn out to be increasingly difficult. Some students even predicted that they would fail all three exams, and they were so disheartened that they could barely walk straight.

Only a few top students, who had performed well so far, still looked forward to the duel assessment, hoping to prove themselves through it. As more students entered Dueling Hall No. 1, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

"I’m starting to feel it." Dark Demon, however, was quite familiar with this kind of gloomy atmosphere before the exam. As a hint of nostalgia appeared on his face, he strode into Dueling Hall No. 1.

The rules for the duel assessment had been set long before. This time, the Rookie League format would be used, requiring participants to have between 20 and 40 magic cards in their decks. The life barrier of the magic balls would be set at Level Two—2000 points.

Dueling Hall No. 1's battlefield measured 30x20, slightly larger than a basketball court. For those accustomed to the 120x80 arenas, this space felt cramped and restrictive. Moreover, the 2000-point life barrier seemed fragile, as if it could shatter with a mere flick of the finger.

Dark shook his head, dismissing such thoughts. While he wasn’t particularly interested in the duel itself, the small goal of securing the top rank in his year transformed him into a dueling machine.

The assessment this time followed a simple random matching system. Each student would participate in two rounds of duels. The professors overseeing the exam would grade each round separately, and the final score would be the average of the two rounds.

On the surface, Jones claimed that victory or defeat wouldn’t matter; only the process would be evaluated. But everyone knew better. Winning a duel undoubtedly earned higher favorability in grading.

"I wonder who my opponent will be?" Dark’s gaze swept across the hall before quickly retracting.

...

About ten minutes later, the four professors, having hastily finalized the grading criteria, ascended the platform, drawing all eyes.

Instinctively, the students gathered below, looking up at the professors, awaiting the start of the assessment.

Professor Pavar Jones, the Dueling Class instructor, stood at the center of the stage and announced, "Today’s duel assessment will be overseen by me along with your Summoning, Magic Theory, and Arithmetic professors. The rules have been repeatedly mentioned in previous classes. If anyone still doesn’t understand... well, too bad! Now, come up one by one to collect your tokens."

The tokens were red on one side and blue on the other. By infusing them with magic energy, they could be split into two halves. Students took turns ascending the platform, collecting their tokens, splitting them, and returning the blue half while keeping the red.

Once everyone had their tokens, Jones drew four pairs from the jar containing the blue halves and announced the numbers publicly.

The selected students proceeded to fields 1 through 4, climbing onto the dueling platforms to prepare. Meanwhile, the four professors moved to the judging panels of the respective fields, serving as both referees and graders.

Without any further ceremony, the first four duels of the first round began simultaneously with a sharp whistle.

As the countdown timer appeared on the projection screens, the first-year students suddenly perked up, shaking off their earlier lethargy. The innate allure of dueling competitions naturally drew their focus, pushing other concerns aside.

The eight competitors standing on their platforms gazed down at the crowd below, their expressions turning serious.

...

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the duel assessment was in full swing. Due to the long hiatus from in-class duels, most first-years were noticeably rusty. However, as time went on, they gradually became more adept, their duels taking shape.

The four professors graded the students based on various qualities demonstrated during the duels but refrained from announcing the scores. This uncertainty left some students uneasy—especially those who lost.

Outside Field 1, Dark remained a silent observer, gaining a clearer understanding of the first-years’ average skill level. Beside him, Dianna, who had initially been eager, now looked bored. On the other side, Rose gradually relaxed.

When another duel ended, Jones swiftly drew another pair of tokens and announced, "Next up, numbers 66 and 29."

"My turn," Dark thought, glancing at his token. He turned slightly and noticed Justin Wayne, number 29, also looking around. Their eyes met briefly, and they both realized they were each other’s first-round opponents.

"Him?" Dark’s interest piqued slightly. Compared to others who hadn’t even participated in the Rookie League, Justin Wayne, one of the seven duelers in the first year, was somewhat of a promising opponent.

Dark gave Justin a slight nod, then turned to the two beside him. "I’m going up."

"Good luck!" Dianna cheered, raising her tiny fist.

Rose shyly added, "Do your best!"

With that, Dark walked toward the red platform.

Justin Wayne, upon confirming his opponent was Dark Demon, couldn’t help but grimace.

His friends patted his shoulder sympathetically and said, "Don’t worry, Justin. Professor Jones said she wouldn’t grade based on wins or losses."

"Do you believe that?"

"What choice do we have?"

"..."

"Anyway, do your best. Show everything you’ve got. Surviving one round is already a win!"

"Uh... That’s a bit exaggerated. Even against Dark, I’m not completely powerless. I can last two or three rounds... Never mind, I’m going up."

Justin Wayne shook his head and stepped onto the blue platform.

As the two walked out, the spectators erupted into whispers.

Dark Demon needed no introduction, but Justin Wayne was also a prominent figure among the first-years in Knight House. His upright character and healthy, sunny appearance made him likable. Unlike the more reserved Emma and White of Knight House, he had garnered many supporters.

Given the longstanding animosity between Knight House and Noble House, quite a few Knight House students hoped Justin Wayne could pull off an upset. Of course, the Noble House students sneered dismissively, seeing no chance of victory for Justin.

"It’s been almost two months since Easter, right? Justin Wayne must have improved tremendously." Doron and Pistein muttered. But then they quickly added, "But of course, Dark has improved even more!"

What made Dark Demon truly despair-inducing was that he was not only stronger but also more diligent. The gap between them would only widen over time unless Dark hit a plateau and paused to admire the view.

While the spectators chattered, Justin Wayne, stepping onto the platform, felt the pressure mounting. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead due to the sudden warmth, and his right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. As someone with a classic knight-like personality, Justin was usually brave yet gentle, confident but not arrogant. Even in his debut match in the Rookie League, he delivered an impressive performance.

After Dark stopped focusing on duels due to his ample credits, Justin continued to compete, accumulating experience and credits, steadily improving. His win rate against second-years had also increased.

But the more he improved, the more he understood the terrifying prowess Dark had displayed at the Easter Duel Festival, where he emerged victorious in the first-to-third-year group.

Thus, the pressure Justin felt was unimaginable to outsiders. Yet, the steps leading to the platform were short, and he had to climb them.

By the time Justin reached the blue platform, Dark was already waiting on the red side. The two had little interaction in school, so after exchanging brief nods, they inserted their decks into the card slots on the table.

As the table activated, projections appeared before them. After two months, Dark showed no signs of rustiness as he touched the table again.

Once ready, he raised his hand, silently waiting for the whistle.

"Tweet—" Professor Jones blew the whistle sharply, and the tension on the field skyrocketed.

[Preparation Phase] [30s]

As the thirty-second countdown projection appeared, both competitors drew their cards.

Whether it was underestimation or fear, once the duel began, such factors became irrelevant. True duelers had only their opponent in sight.

"Duel begins!" Dark drew five cards instantly, spreading them out in his hand like a folding fan.

As the five magic cards came into view, his mind raced, swiftly calculating tactics and strategies. A smile soon appeared on his face.

▼

[Lust III·Moon]

[Phantom Magic Beast: Eevee]

[Misdreavus]

[Vampire Fraulein]

▲

Drawing two [Lust III·Moon] cards made everything remarkably simple. In the Rookie League, where deck sizes could range from 20 to 40 cards, Dark’s deck contained no useless trash cards. No matter the starting hand, it was always strong.

The inclusion of [Vampire Fraulein], [Soul of the Moon Goddess I], and [Primal Dragon Egg] made his deck even easier to activate. With this starting hand, if he wished, he could summon [Misdreavus] immediately, triggering [Vampire Arcana] to summon [Vampire Fraulein], overwhelming his opponent with a 7-star magic card.

But he didn’t plan to do that.

"Tick-tock!"

As the thirty-second countdown ended, the turn switched.

...

[Battle Phase][30s]

...

When Dark raised his hand to summon, Justin Wayne’s expression visibly relaxed slightly. But it made no difference to Dark.

"It’s decided— I choose you, [Misdreavus]!"

Due to the difference in summoning speed, Dark completed his summon before Justin Wayne’s Normal Summoning Spell was halfway through. Misdreavus burst forth from the card, flying straight into the blue zone without hesitation.

By the time Justin Wayne finished his Normal Summoning Spell, Dark had already begun his second Normal Summoning Spell. However, Justin’s summoned 3-star magical spirit managed to block Misdreavus just before it reached the blue summoning area.

It was a bald knight clad in armor, with a heart-shaped opening on his chest and riding a pink giant pig—the [Knight of Love]!

Though its appearance was quirky, the Knight of Love was incredibly powerful. Among 3-star magical spirits, its stats were top-tier, and its ultimate move, [Love Rescue], was a healing ability with special effects for its mount.

But class differences were hard to bridge.

When [Knight of Love], under Justin Wayne’s command, raised its lance and unleashed another ultimate move, [Love Beam], a much stronger beam of pink light struck Misdreavus.

Misdreavus, making grotesque faces, evolved instantly under the influence of [Lust III·Moon]!

The witch-like [Mismagius] took form in the evolution light, mercilessly shattering the heart-shaped beam and lunging toward the [Knight of Love].

Fear descended.

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