"That won't do." Ron teased. "Our Magic Battle Arena can't play favorites, right, Nora?"
"Huh?" Nora was nibbling on a lamb roll in small bites. Being suddenly addressed, she froze.
She looked at Ron, then at Mia, who was staring expectantly, and immediately found herself in a dilemma.
"B-Boss… if it's just giving one away, it should be fine, right?"
"Nora is the best~" Mia cheered, raising both hands.
"I haven't agreed yet." Ron shot her a glance and shook his head helplessly. "This special edition is only available for a limited time. If you want to buy it, you can always get one."
Mia crossed her arms and huffed. "Ron, you just don't understand the joy of getting something for free~."
"…" The corner of Ron's mouth twitched. He suddenly felt like he could understand how the system felt when he chose to learn magic himself instead of spending Wealth Points to exchange for it.
What goes around comes around—no one escapes the lure of freeloading…
"If you can bring people to the Magic Battle Arena every week, I can give you one," Ron said, eyes turning as he decided to have Mia help attract customers.
"No problem, no problem~" Mia patted her chest in assurance, then immediately stretched out both hands. "Give it to me, give it to me—I want it now!"
Ron shrugged and took out a card from his [Backpack]—the "Elemental God Elementia" Opening Special Edition.
The Elementia depicted on the card—wearing a purple dress, hands resting on her knees, smiling brightly—was now in Mia's hands.
"Hehe~ I'm the first one to get it~."
Ron glanced sideways at her and mercilessly shattered her illusion. "Strictly speaking, you're at least past the fiftieth."
Mia: "!?"
"Ron, you're lying! Didn't you say before you'd never give these away for free?" Mia puffed up angrily, hands on her hips.
Eileen covered her mouth and laughed from the side. "Everyone working in Ron's shop gets one."
"Mm-hmm, we prepared one for every employee," Nora nodded in confirmation.
The four of them burst into laughter again.
…
While Ron and the others were eating hotpot—
After observing all the morning matches at the Grand Arena, Wardson adjusted his condition in the lounge, hastily ate a simple lunch, and prepared to head to the Magic Battle Arena.
"Captain going to wash away your shame?" a teammate joked. "For true love—charge!"
"Get lost!" Wardson laughed and cursed.
"We'll come cheer for you—build up momentum and scare that scrub Rowell half to death. Maybe he won't even be able to hold his cards steady."
Wardson had already reached the door. He turned back to look at his teammates in the lounge and said with a half-smile:
"When I get back, extra training?"
"Captain, have a safe journey!"
"Captain, smooth travels!"
The team members bowed in unison and shouted together, just hoping he wouldn't come back after leaving.
Compared to Wardson's devilish extra training, they'd rather compete all day long.
Wardson shook his head with a chuckle and stepped out of the lounge. "Follow the usual training plan this afternoon. Myer will take my core position, and Rast will command."
"Yes, sir!"
Leaving the Grand Arena, Wardson got into a carriage and took out a deck of Element Cards from his storage space.
The deck was divided into two parts. One consisted of cards with non-repeating numbers and suits, while the other contained the four new Element Cards introduced in the second expansion, along with their corresponding four old versions.
In Magic Duels, newer Element Cards weren't necessarily stronger than the older ones.
When the new cards were first introduced, people weren't yet familiar with the combos between the new and old cards.
So it was common for players to be caught off guard and taken out in a single wave using the new cards.
But as time passed and people became accustomed to the new strategies, there was no real superiority between old and new decks.
In the end, it still came down to skill.
For example, maximizing the efficiency of your hand, using the rules to trade smaller cards for bigger plays, and predicting the strength of your opponent's hand.
Of course, luck also played a big role sometimes.
Like in the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! from Ron's original world, the protagonist always seemed to be reduced to just a few hundred life points before pulling off a comeback at the most critical moment.
That was luck.
Wardson wouldn't entrust victory to luck, so he always made thorough preparations beforehand and never fought a battle he wasn't sure of winning.
It was just like team matches in the Grand Arena.
Before the match, they would rehearse various tactics and simulate all kinds of strategies their opponents might use.
And in Magic Duels, it was much the same.
Predict the opponent's possible strategies and prepare corresponding responses.
Once simplified into cards, it was far easier to control than the ever-changing situations in team battles.
Moreover, up to now, only four new cards had been released in the second expansion, and he had already thoroughly studied all their variations.
So for today's duel, he was full of confidence.
To be honest, he didn't think there was anyone who could match him in Magic Duels.
Wardson lowered his head and carefully checked his "weapons." After confirming that nothing was missing from his Element Cards, he put them back into his storage space and closed his eyes to rest.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the entrance of the Magic Battle Arena.
It was exactly 1 p.m., and the entrance was bustling with activity.
Well-mannered attendants stood at the door, welcoming every guest.
Above the entrance, the bold words "Magic Battle Arena" were highly eye-catching, and below them, a banner reading "A Fierce Showdown Between General Moen's Son Wardson and Duke Christine's Grandson Rowell!" drew a great deal of attention.
Wardson stepped down from the carriage and glanced at the banner without saying anything.
At the Winter Food Festival banquet, he had only wanted another duel with Rowell. The time and place didn't matter.
So when Ron invited the two of them to duel at the Magic Battle Arena, he had agreed on the spot.
Only later did he realize that he and Rowell had been used.
He didn't really mind. After all, Ron's methods were fairly straightforward and hadn't actually harmed his personal interests.
So he chose to turn a blind eye.
As he passed through the crowd and reached the entrance, Wardson's attention was immediately drawn elsewhere.
What caught his eye wasn't the two elegant attendants at the door, but the striking wall posters on either side.
The newly illustrated "Elemental God Elementia," displayed in life-size on both walls, made people instinctively stop in their tracks.
If the A4-sized posters of Elementia in the Grand Arena corridors were merely alluring—
Then the life-sized wall versions at the Magic Battle Arena entrance were downright enchanting on a captivating, overwhelming level.
For people who had never been exposed to "2D characters," this was an immense shock.
Buy it!
Not only would he buy the Opening Special Edition card, but he also needed to ask if these wall posters were for sale.
Putting something like this in a bedroom was far more pleasing to the eye than ordinary oil paintings.