Quick-Play Spell Card [Future Drive].
A card that allows [Number F0: Utopic Future] to gain the ability to attack all monsters on the opponent's field. Combined with Utopic Future's effect—which has no "once per turn" restriction—this means it could literally trample over every monster in a single Battle Phase.
Just imagine it: the opponent has the Three Polar Gods lined up, only to be wiped out by [Number F0: Utopic Future] rampaging with [Future Drive].
The sight alone would be glorious.
More importantly, as a hidden exclusive card from the Future archetype branch, [Future Drive] only costs 100 Magic Points to synthesize and is of B-rank rarity.
"I must have it… right now!"
Miles was like someone casually browsing an online store out of boredom, only to get utterly hooked on a must-have item.
Compared to the three legendary draw Spells costing 1200 Magic Points each, [Future Drive] at just 100 points was an absolute bargain in both value and soul appeal.
Still, even 100 Magic Points…
Miles glanced at the lower left of Aisha's interface, where her remaining Magic Points were displayed.
Remaining Magic Points: 8
…He was too broke to even afford 100 points.
"Krista, lend me some Magic Points."
Yes. This man shamelessly asked.
"Eh? Ah, um…"
Caught off guard by the sudden, outrageous request, Krista froze for a second, then awkwardly patted the tattered pocket of her skirt.
It was only then she realized that Magic Points weren't something you could just pull out like coins.
To be fair, Miles's tone had sounded exactly like, "Krista, lend me some money."
"Miles, Magic Points can't really be lent out, can they?"
Krista pulled out a small SP Points card from her pocket and handed it to him.
"If it's SP Points, I've still got a little left—you can have them all~"
Bang—!
The workshop's creaky door swung open at the worst possible moment.
Ren and Luca had returned with breakfast, holding a big bag of buttered toast—and the first thing they saw was Krista about to hand over her last savings to Miles.
"Wow, scumbag!" Ren exclaimed, a slice of bread still hanging from her mouth, her heterochromatic eyes going cold. "Miles, you've actually sunk so low you're asking girls for money now?"
"Scumbag!" Luca echoed right after her.
"No, no, misunderstanding! And besides, SP Points are useless to me anyway!" (Viel muttered to herself, "Useless, huh? Then what about the debt you owe me?")
Miles had only blurted it out in his desperation to get [Future Drive].
What he actually meant to ask was whether Synchron Academy had a way for an outside student like him to borrow or earn Magic Points.
Who could've guessed that one casual remark would make Krista hand over her entire savings?
Girl, you're way too easy to scam… you'll lose both your heart and your wallet one day at this rate.
"Wait… Ren, how did you instantly know I wasn't Aisha?"
Setting the bread down, Ren put her hands on her hips. "Aisha would never be flipping through the 'Magic Directory' while making Krista pay for something. Let me guess… she probably said she overworked herself today and doesn't want to come out, right?"
Having been childhood friends for over a decade, she was spot-on. Miles couldn't argue at all.
"You'd better take your money back, Krista."
After declining Krista's "kind offer," Miles explained his idea about earning Magic Points at Synchron Academy.
Krista thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. "Credits, huh? Normally, they're awarded during exams or practical tests. Though for an outsider like you, I'm not sure how that'd work."
In both Synchron and Fusion Academies, credits could only be earned through exams or practical duels—that rule was the same.
"Oh, right!" Krista suddenly clapped her hands. "If you're bold enough, you can earn Magic Points through 'crabbing.' But if you get caught, it's going to be a huge hassle."
Crabbing again? Why did even Krista use that same shady term as that scheming loli Viel?
Was "crabbing" some kind of local Axet slang for dangerous side jobs?
And hearing it from Krista made it sound… weirdly suggestive; Considering that, she was Yusei's daughter—the 'Crab King' himself.
It almost sounded like she was saying, "Miles, you could use my dad to earn Magic Points."
"Oh-oh-oh-oh! Someone said 'crabbing'?"
Hearing the word, the little devil herself, Viel, bounced cheerfully out of the workshop, absolutely in a great mood now that the D-Wheel build was nearly complete.
At this rate, her efficiency had doubled—she'd built Krista's D-Wheel in half the time it took for Miles's custom one.
No way… she hadn't really scammed Krista for an 80-point profit, had she?
Noticing Miles's accusing stare, the tiny loli Viel stuck out her tongue and made her signature "don't blame me" face, then secretly raised five tiny fingers.
Meaning: "Only 50. I swear. 80 would be too evil."
Two completed D-Wheel orders in just a few days, especially Krista's full payment, had greatly stabilized the workshop's shaky finances.
With things finally running smoothly, Viel's ambition was growing: time to expand the business.
Rubbing her soft, white hands together with a sly grin, Viel leaned toward Miles.
"Miles, you've got a sharp eye, you know? This advanced 'Magic Directory' is one of our finest products. You won't find it anywhere else… and even the three major academy libraries only have mid-tier versions."
"Advanced 'Magic Directory'?"
It was the first time Miles learned that the "Magic Directory" actually had different tiers.
No wonder this copy in his hands listed so many absurdly powerful, anime-original cards that couldn't be found in any academy library version.
This high-tier "Magic Directory" also finally answered a question that had long bothered Miles… where exactly had Luca Slint, or rather the Millennium Ring, gotten that [Card of Demise] from?
The three legendary draw Spells clearly weren't tied to any specific archetype, yet none of them appeared in the academy's "Magic Directory."
Now it made sense. Luca—or more precisely, the Slint family, one of the three great houses of the Holy Varian Empire—must also possess a high-tier "Magic Directory."
And yet, this kind of outrageous artifact was sitting openly on display for sale in Viel's little workshop, like it was nothing.
Fortunately, the workshop's remote location meant it rarely saw customers; otherwise, such a book would've already caused a sensation across Axet.
Of course, those anime-original, overpowered cards required an absurd amount of Magic Synthesis Points—far beyond what ordinary people could ever afford.
"Wait a second… don't tell me that card is in here too?"
Thinking of those broken anime cards, Miles suddenly recalled one Spell in particular and began flipping through the pages at high speed.
"Found it. Wow, that's way too over the top."
The card he found was one he'd never expected to appear in the "Magic Directory," or even exist anywhere in the Spirit Continent:
Continuous Spell—[Exchange of the Spirit]
Synthesis Cost: 2400 Points.
Even the Pharaoh himself had only ever used it once.
A Continuous Spell that, upon activation, banishes all monsters from both players' Decks, removes all summoning and special summoning restrictions, and once per turn allows a monster from the Graveyard to be Special Summoned, ignoring its conditions.
Such a terrifying effect—paired with its 2400-point synthesis cost, equal to six A-rank cards—made sense. The power matched the price.
Even Miles had to stop and weigh whether it was really worth trading six [Pot of Greed]-tier A-rank cards for it.
If even he had to think twice, ordinary Duelists could only dream of ever affording it.
"I can tell you want it badly, Miles~"
Sensing business from his gaze, Viel raised five fingers again.
"Since we're such good friends, I'll give you a super discount. 500 SP Points and it's yours. Tempted?"
"Since we're such good friends, I think I'll pass."
Miles shoved the high-tier "Magic Directory" back into the display case, making sure to hide it better this time so no unsuspecting fool would stumble on it.
He couldn't even scrape together 100 Magic Points for [Future Drive], let alone think about the Three Legendary Spells or [Exchange of the Spirit].
Besides, if Viel was talking about friendship, then there was no need to buy it—he could just come back and synthesize from her copy later, free of charge.
"Seeing as we're friends, letting me borrow it once isn't too much to ask, right?"
"Hmph!" Viel puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, her childish face round and irresistibly pokeable.
"Fine, then how about this? Miles, Krista, Ren—check this out! A charm that boosts your draw luck! Just 300 SP Points each, for friends only!"
Apparently stung by her earlier sales failure, the scheming loli Viel's entrepreneurial drive flared up again, and she began hawking a variety of bizarre—and pricey—trinkets.
"No thanks." Miles and Ren replied in unison.
With the Millennium Puzzle's guaranteed "Destiny Draw" on his side, what use did he have for a luck charm? And Ren—her luck was practically divine.
"I'd love one, Miss Viel," Krista said honestly, looking tempted. "But I'm broke."
"Krista, trust me, don't." Miles advised her flatly.
Compared to the D-Wheel or the high-tier "Magic Directory," this charm looked exactly like something a street scammer would sell. Utterly suspicious.
And besides, how could you even prove a charm that "boosts luck" actually worked? Viel could easily be conning people under the guise of mysticism.
Still not giving up, Viel pulled out another item—a weirdly posed straw doll.
"Then how about this cursed doll? It'll make your opponent draw bricks!"
"No."
"Or maybe this mysterious ring, said to house the spirit of an old ghostly grandpa?"
"No. And also, I am the ghostly spirit."
"What about this projector—it can turn your waifu cards into physical holograms, fully poseable!"
"No—wait, hold up. Can you even sell something like that? Isn't that crossing a line?"
No matter how hard Viel tried to push her shady products, Miles stayed perfectly unmoved.
The reason was simple: not only did those things look like obvious scams, but more importantly… he was broke.
Since the Axet magic stone incident, even the SP Settlement Robots had stopped operating. There was no guarantee SP Points could be earned as easily as before.
Only someone like Krista—a kindhearted, gullible soul—would blow all her savings during such uncertain times to buy a D-Wheel she might not even use.
"You're really one tough customer, Miles."
Viel sighed, setting down the box of random Duel accessories. Then she took a deep breath and decided to bring out her ultimate offer—the one thing she was sure he couldn't refuse.
"Miles, let me ask you something… do you want a body?"
"No—wait, what? A body?!"
Miles, who'd been rejecting her automatically, froze mid-word.
"What do you mean, a body?" he asked, blinking through Aisha's emerald eyes in disbelief.
Seeing her bait land, Viel's sly merchant smile returned. "Naturally, I mean a real, physical body—one that you, as a spirit, can freely use. You can even customize the appearance based on your soul's memories."
The customization part didn't matter. What mattered was the body itself.
"A body... you can actually make one?!"
Ren and Krista both gasped and lunged toward Viel, looking even more excited than Miles himself.
The bait had been cast... and not just one fish had bitten.
...
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