The spatial transit made Youyu feel a bit dizzy. His sense of balance hadn't fully recovered, and he was somewhat unsteady, with his mind feeling dazed and a slight nausea, akin to seasickness.
He couldn't stand up for a while, but the passersby around him didn't plan to give him any breathing room.
Youyu had probably guessed it already. These ignorant people were calling anyone slightly pale an outsider; a guy like him dressed in a future-style trench coat with odd mechanical devices on his hand would surely be seen as an outsider.
Initially, the group was just pointing fingers from the sidelines, but seeing him weak and unable to stand steadily, a burly man with dark skin dared to approach, raising his fist and cursing, ready to strike at Youyu.
The nearby crowd was jeering loudly as if they were cheering the attacker on. Other folks who had been just mouthing off seemed unable to hold back, wanting to rush forward and play hero by "exorcising demons."
These people were so genuine. After cursing for half the day, no one dared to act until they confirmed the opponent seemed like a pushover with no ability to retaliate, only then stepping forward to show heroism.
... Unfortunately, Youyu wasn't like Kisara, the kind of doll who could only take hits without fighting back.
Sparks erupted in the air, swiftly expanding into scorching flames. The scorching impact transformed into visible ripples, and the jeering crowd barely had time to react as the man's scream echoed like a slaughtered pig, causing him to fly back, rolling on the ground, leaving trails in the yellow sand, and crashing into the corner of a building wall, lying there like a dead pig, motionless.
The jeering and shouting ceased abruptly, other men who had been gearing up to throw punches at Youyu froze in their tracks, keeping the same poised steps but now awkwardly stuck in place, not daring to move.
Invisible flames scorched the dust particles in the air, crackling crisply and accompanying the burnt aroma of charred objects.
Flames licked the shiny red armor, and the blue lenses on the helmet reflected the flickering firelight. The hero clad in exoskeleton armor and a mask had a red belt strapped around his waist, with a blazing "Fire" character centered on it.
Masked Hero Goka.
Dead silence.
"...Monster, it's a monster!"
"Indeed an outsider! That is an evil monster!"
"Run! Someone should inform the priest at the Royal Palace!!"
"..."
The crowd, which had been brashly calling him "outsider" and appeared to be itching to punish wrongdoers, fled, scattering like birds and beasts fearing they'd become "monster" fodder if they were even a second late.
Youyu was speechless.
Such a righteous fire-type hero, where did your eyes see a monster?
This group is indeed interesting. The Pharaoh and priests in the Royal Palace also commanded Duel Monster Spirits, seen as divine figures in the eyes of the public.
Yet, if anyone beyond the Royal Palace could command Monster Spirits, they were immediately branded outsiders, destined for instant elimination.
However, this double standard is not unreasonable. In Ancient Egypt, many spirits were born from human emotions, and even ordinary people might harbor spirits within.
Only without the Secret Technique mastered by the Royal Palace, ordinary people can't command the spirits within them. Only the priests and Pharaoh in the Royal Palace could extract and seal others' spirits on stone slabs and summon them at will.
There were folks outside the palace who mastered spirit powers too, like the White Dragon girl Kisara, who could freely summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon spirit later in the story.
But such kind-hearted individuals capable of commanding spirits freely were rare; more common were those whose inner darkness ran wild, leaving evil spirits to wreck havoc. That's when priests and Pharaohs were needed to suppress it.
Because priests and Pharaohs wield such extraordinary power, they are revered by the people as gods, and the entire worldview of the populace is rooted in this belief.
Youyu finally recovered from his "dizzy transit" state and stood up. He dusted off his clothes and glanced at the man lying like a dead pig, raising an eyebrow involuntarily.
This guy... might not have been knocked out instantly, right?
Masked Hero Goka, connected with him in mind, swiftly understood his master's intent. His feedback came quickly, assuring not to worry, as his action was measured, and the man merely passed out.
Youyu nodded.
Although creating an account and getting sworn at by a crowd of foolish people was indeed frustrating, Youyu didn't dwell much on it.
This place was, after all, merely the Memory World of the Pharaoh, and these seemingly lively people had all perished three thousand years ago. The space he was in was a massive virtual map built using Darkness Game's power, essentially just an RPG game, and all these folks were pre-set NPCs from three thousand years ago.
He wasn't about to waste precious time quibbling with a bunch of NPCs.
In his previous life, he only read forums detailing other players' explorations in the "King's Memory" chapter, never having the chance to partake personally. Hence, Youyu first inspected his own state.
Unlike Dark Yugi, who directly logged into the game as the Pharaoh's role, Youyu, in this Memory World, was a complete outsider, having no counterpart three thousand years ago. So he preserved his original appearance here.
The Duel Disc was still there, the same one obtained from Uncle Pegasus... or rather, a Future Duel Disc generously gifted after Uncle Pegasus turned over a new leaf.
Youyu then checked his Card Deck, finding that all cards in his deck and the System Card Library were still intact.
However, similar to his spirit entry into Noah's computer world earlier, the spirits in his deck, like Dark Magician Girl and Silent Magician, didn't respond, seemingly left in the real world.
Only the spirits of the Masked Hero, with whom he shared a unifying bond, accompanied him.
Additionally, he could vaguely sense the Three Egyptian God spirits residing in his deck were present too, though their presence was faint.
Youyu figured it might be because the Memory World belonged to Dark Yugi and the Three Egyptian Gods, with the spirits of Gods currently with Yugi.
Youyu might be able to summon the Gods, but even if the three haughty entities didn't respond, it wouldn't be surprising.
Should Youyu and Yugi summon the Gods together in this Memory World, they would definitely prioritize aiding the Pharaoh, not an inexplicable outsider like Youyu.
After assessing his equipment, Youyu stood up, surveying the area only to find the street empty as if all residents had fled upon hearing about the "monster"...
Yet he already planned his course before entering this Memory World.
If this was an RPG game, the urgent task was naturally exploring the map, seeking opportunities, and leveling up upgrading gear.
After all, he wasn't the King, unable to inherit the previous life's account, directly logging in at max level, with instant Three Egyptian Gods and the Pharaoh's throne, one-blade 999...
Bakura, on the other hand, was quite tragic. While the King logged in with a max-level divine account, Bakura's initial status was as the impoverished Thief King, clad only in underpants, logging in while shackled, walking on the escort route...
Thanks to predecessors guiding him, Youyu avoided being entirely clueless upon entering.
First, he planned to acquire ultra-rare equipment obtainable only within the Memory World.
Of course, in the context of this card game, it meant the legendary USR-grade Super Rare Card.