The cicadas outside the window were even louder than a few days ago.
July 1, 2026.
This date was plastered across the streets and alleys of Star City on countless banners.
Even inside the hospital room, Raku could feel the urgency through the trending notifications constantly popping up on his phone screen. Registration for Duel Academy had officially begun.
In his original world, the college entrance exams would have already ended between June 7 and June 10.
But this world was different. Applications for Duel Academy were scheduled globally rather than nationally, which was why July 1 had been chosen, with the exams lasting an entire week.
Don't get it wrong. Each individual candidate only needed one day to complete their exam, but due to the sheer volume of people, it was conducted in batches.
Rikka didn't come today. Early in the morning, she had already set off with that backpack stuffed full of cards and snacks to participate in the first batch of interview duels.
Raku leaned against the propped-up pillows. His complexion had improved considerably compared to when he was first admitted, and he could now hold his phone and scroll through it on his own.
These days hadn't been boring; aside from recovering, nearly all his time had been spent on that parchment.
The dark golden text flickered across the page one last time.
"The soap production was very successful. I mixed an alkaline solution with filtered oils and added some herbal extracts with antibacterial properties. The residents of Windless City rushed to buy it like mad. They have never seen something that could clean away years of accumulated grime so thoroughly."
This was a message from Eldlich half an hour ago.
Raku read the passage and could almost picture the young alchemist working up a sweat in a frenzy of activity.
"I told you. Compared to gold, things that actually improve daily life are the real necessities."
He muttered softly to himself, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips. Aleister sat on the windowsill, his staff resting across his knees, idly watching the pigeons flying past outside.
"Your influence on that young man is growing. Your connection is getting deeper."
"That's something for the future. Right now, the priority is filling your stomach and saving money."
Raku set the parchment down.
Steady footsteps echoed from the corridor; the sound of uniformed leather shoes striking the floor. The ward door opened, and Akihiko Tsuruno, in his black uniform, walked in.
He carried a small silver briefcase in one hand, and under his arm was a cardboard box tightly wrapped in shockproof foam.
"Mr. Raku Hisetsu," Akihiko stood at the foot of the bed, his tone as precise as ever. "This is the compensation from Kaiba Corporation. Inside is a stored-value cash card with a balance of two hundred thousand, as well as a personal gift from Chairman Kaiba."
He first placed the briefcase on the small table by the bed, then carefully set down the foam-wrapped box on top of it.
Raku glanced at the amount, then at the box.
"Understood. Please convey my regards to Chairman Kaiba."
Akihiko did not speak further. After confirming that Raku had received everything, he gave a standard salute and turned to leave the room.
The moment the door closed, Raku's expression changed.
Ignoring the lingering stiffness in his body, he pushed himself up and began opening the box with some effort. He tore through the tape, peeled away the layers of foam, and gradually, the bright white paint and familiar draconic contours came into view.
It was Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Fully articulated. Premium paintwork. Even the texture of its scales and the hooked shape of its teeth were rendered vividly. This figure was a limited release on the official website; one of those top-tier collectibles that required not only money, but also a sufficiently high point ranking to reserve.
Raku stared at the white dragon gleaming coldly under the sunlight and took a deep breath.
"Oh… my god."
"Quick, quick! Aleister, stop watching pigeons and get over here!"
Aleister turned his head, looking at Raku, whose facial muscles were trembling slightly.
"What is it? Poisoned?"
"You don't get it! Hurry and store the Blue-Eyes figure properly. And take the briefcase too. I'm bringing this home and putting it in the display case on top of my PC tower! That's the centerpiece I've been saving for!"
Raku spoke rapidly, his excitement spilling over.
Aleister jumped down from the windowsill, eyeing the plastic model with a hint of disdain.
"You're this excited over a figurine?"
He flicked one of the Blue-Eyes' wings with his finger, producing a soft click.
Raku stared straight into his eyes, his tone becoming more serious than ever before.
"Imagine this: You're a duelist. Someone gives you a Blue-Eyes figure. Would you take it? You'd risk your life to get it."
Raku could feel his heartbeat speeding up. To be fair, he really did love Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"If you put it that way…"
Aleister shrugged and raised a hand. A circle of green light enveloped the box and the white dragon.
"Then I'll hold onto it for you for now. But honestly, does this kind of monster really have that much appeal?"
"That's soul. That's pride."
Raku sat back down on the bed, feeling a thin layer of sweat on his forehead from all that movement, yet his mood was strangely excellent.
Raku picked up the parchment again and continued communicating with Eldlich.
However, Eldlich suddenly added another line.
"The gold I've earned these past few days is already enough for my next step. I can begin acquiring the materials for the Philosopher's Stone."
Raku stared at that line on the parchment, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against the edge of the blanket.
"He's already starting the refinement of the Philosopher's Stone so soon?"
Raku lifted his head and looked toward Aleister, who was leaning against the window frame. The spirit at his side was idly flipping through his azure Book of Law, his semi-transparent figure appearing somewhat illusory under the sunlight.
"He's only acquiring materials. Are you worried?"
Aleister asked without even looking up, the sound of turning pages crisp in the quiet ward.
"A little," Raku leaned back against the pillow, feeling the oppressive weakness in his chest ease somewhat. "After all, these past few days stuck in bed, chatting with him helped pass the time. A polite and motivated pen pal like that shouldn't end up like that. I'll give him a reminder."
Raku used his still barely movable fingers to hold the special quill and slowly wrote across the parchment. His strokes trembled slightly, but each word was pressed down with weight.
"The refinement of the Philosopher's Stone has four stages; you should know that. Make sure you don't cut any corners."
The ink seeped into the parchment and quickly disappeared.
Only a few minutes passed before the parchment grew slightly warm, and several lines of neat yet forceful handwriting emerged.
"Thank you for the reminder, my friend. The materials are prepared. I am about to enter the meditation phase of 'Nigredo.'"
Raku stared at the word "Nigredo" for a long time before finally tossing the parchment onto the bedside table.
"I hope it helps," he muttered, closing his eyes.
At that moment, Aleister drifted over to the bedside, holding a metal card pack that had appeared from who-knows-where.
It was the newly released "Chaos Thunder" expansion pack from Kaiba Corporation this season, its packaging shimmering with an enticing foil sheen.
"Rather than worrying about that alchemist in another world, you should take a look at your own fortune."
Aleister handed over the pack, a trace of inscrutable meaning flickering in his emerald eyes.
"Whether it will help or not… the cards will foretell destiny."
Raku took the pack. At times like this, a duelist's instinct overpowered physical fatigue. He tore open the packaging, and a scent of ink mixed with metallic static greeted him.
He flipped through the common cards one by one.
[Eldlixir of Black Awakening]
[Eldlixir of White Destiny]
[Eldlich the Golden Lord]
It seemed to foreshadow something.
Until he reached the final card.
It was a Fusion Monster card emitting a deep crimson glow. At the center of the artwork stood a completely rampaging golden giant. The crimson Philosopher's Stone embedded in its chest was spewing out dark red energy wildly. Its twisted golden claws looked as if they would tear through the edges of the card, and the eyes behind its mask were filled with a deranged madness.
[Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord].
Raku stared at the card, took a deep breath, then let it out heavily.
"…So in the end, it's still this one?"
Raku slapped the card down beside his pillow, the red reflection on its surface mirrored in his pupils.
Sure enough, reminders like this felt utterly powerless in the face of a predetermined timeline.
He had only told him not to cut corners… but what if, due to some sudden circumstance, he was forced to skip from Albedo straight to Rubedo?
That helpless feeling of watching a train of fate accelerate toward a cliff was truly unpleasant.
When just now, he was probably still in that tavern, overjoyed over earning his first pot of gold from selling soap.
"Oh my."
Aleister leaned closer, looking down at the ominous card, a slight curve lifting at the corner of his lips, though there was little sympathy in his tone.
"It seems fate has not changed. The Mad Golden Lord will still be born."
"Thanks, I got that already," Raku clicked his tongue.
"I am merely a narrator of facts, partner. The end of alchemy is always accompanied by sacrifice and distortion. Since he chose to pursue that ultimate substance, this outcome was decided the moment he wrote his first rune."
Aleister extended his semi-transparent finger and lightly tapped the surface of [Mad Golden Lord].
"But from another perspective, you'll have quite a decent deck in the future, won't you?"
Raku ignored him, gazing absentmindedly at the clear blue sky outside.
Rikka should have entered the exam venue by now. What kind of opponent would she be facing? Those by-the-book academy duelists? Or some unexpected prodigy?
Faint footsteps sounded outside the ward. A nurse pushed an IV cart and stopped in front of Room 03.
"Mr. Raku, it's time to check your temperature and change your dressing."
...
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