SWNOVELXO Chapter 33: DSMW [33]
"What a weird little thing... This is supposed to be an angel?" Aisha blurted.
"Trust me, you'll see way more freaky-looking angels in the future," Miles said.
Everyone knew that if a monster's appearance was too strange to categorize, slapping it into the Fairy type was the safest bet.
Even Mokey Mokey was a Fairy—and it literally looked like a block of tofu.
The cloaked man raised his hand and declared, "Monster Card Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands' effect activates upon successful Summon."
This was actually the first time since arriving in this world that Miles had seen an opponent actively use a monster effect.
It also proved that this Rare Card Hunter—this Dark Duelist—was far stronger than most first-years at Fusion Academy.
"Manju's effect lets me add one Ritual Spell from my Deck to my hand. I choose Contract with the Abyss!"
The card depicted an ominous ritual altar leading into the abyss. Even Miles wasn't sure which monster it was meant for.
"Hehehe... The real hell is just about to begin."
The man's eerie laughter, combined with the Shadow Game's oppressive atmosphere, sent a chill down Miles's spine.
(Though to be fair, part of that chill might be because Aisha's body was too petite for the cold night air.)
"I activate the Spell Card—Double Summon!"
[This turn, you can Normal Summon one additional time.]
Two pillars of light surged up beside him, symbolizing his extra summon for the turn.
He then revealed another monster card.
"For my second Normal Summon, I Tribute Manju to Tribute Summon!"
"He's going for a Tribute Summon on the first turn? Miles, isn't this guy kinda strong?" Aisha asked nervously.
"Kinda strong" was putting it mildly. Miles recognized the card the man was about to summon.
Normally, a one-tribute summon only allowed Level 5 or 6 monsters.
But the monster in the man's hand... was infamous. It held the title "King of One-Tribute Summons," boasting one of the highest attack stats possible for a single-tribute monster.
"I Tribute Summon... Summoned Skull!"
[Summoned Skull] Level 6│DARK│Fiend│2500 ATK
With a clap of thunder that tore through the darkness, Summoned Skull descended. Its pale skeletal body radiated pure terror against the backdrop of shadow.
"2500 Attack for a Level 6? That's even stronger than Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Aisha exclaimed.
Though its Defense was much lower, that 2500 Attack surpassed even the 7-star Red-Eyes Black Dragon, which needed two tributes.
To pull this off on the first turn... This guy was leagues above Kevin, Miles's first opponent.
"Bet you're about to pee yourself, little girl. Turn end!"
Controlling a demon stronger than a black dragon, this first Shadow Game had already thrown Miles against a brutal opponent.
And that Ritual Spell in his hand? Still an unknown threat.
"My turn. Draw."
Miles drew, scanning the card through Aisha's eyes.
"Let's go!"
Burning a good chunk of his luck and lifespan from his past life, Miles pulled exactly the card he needed.
"Get wrecked—no bricking for me this time!"
The card was the result of spending 100 Magic Points earned from weeks of practice matches. A freshly crafted, B-rank Spell.
An Equip Spell.
"I summon Volcanic Rat in Attack Position!"
[Volcanic Rat] Level 1│FIRE│Pyro│500 ATK
Since he needed a monster to equip the Spell, Miles brought out this tiny, blazing rat with 500 Attack.
"Then I activate my B-rank Equip Spell—Amulet of Ambition!"
Materializing as a giant metal pendant with a huge eyeball, the bizarre trinket fired a strange beam at Volcanic Rat, marking it.
"Well, well... Didn't expect you to have a B-rank Spell," the cloaked man sneered, eyes gleaming with undisguised greed.
"Shame though... Never seen this one on the black market. No clue how much it's worth."
Of course, he hadn't seen it. Who else but Miles, scraping by with Aisha's trash-tier Deck, would waste 100 points crafting something this niche?
"Doesn't matter. No matter how strong your Equip is, slapping it on a Level 1 trash mob won't change anything. Summoned Skull is stronger than most Level 7 monsters!"
The man was fully aware of what 2500 Attack on a 6-star monster meant. His voice dripped with arrogance.
"Underestimating a Level 1 monster, huh? Then get ready to suffer. My Equip Spell's effect—Amulet of Ambition!"
"If the equipped Monster battles with with a higher Level Monster, the equipped Monster gains 500 Attack times the difference in Levels, during that damage calculation only!"
"What?! It powers up based on the Level difference?!"
The cloaked man's eyes widened in shock.
"Volcanic Rat is Level 1. Summoned Skull is Level 6. The Level gap is 5. So during battle... Volcanic Rat gains 5 x 500 = 2500 Attack!"
[Volcanic Rat, ATK: 500 → 3000]
The smaller the monster, the greater the power boost.
Bathed in rising flames, the adorable little Volcanic Rat now radiated the aura of a raging fire dragon. The fire took shape—on the field, it looked as if a massive fire dragon stood where the rat was, roaring furiously.
3000 Attack. This wasn't some throwaway trash monster anymore. It was a pseudo Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
...
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