Author's Notes:
It has been a while, as promised, I have wrote the next batch.
However, due to work, this batch will be released at least once a fortnight. If not, I will release them during the third week. No guarantees.
And yes, I will do each Arc 0 chapters like a prologue to each new Arcs. Reason being, Arc 0 will contains spoilers for my end game so I will be slicing them up into sections. And we'll leave it at that.
Arc 0: The Isekai Protagonist
Chapter 2: The first year
A few months had passed since my enrollment as LDS aka, Leo Duel School's teacher. I was getting the hang of it all. Then again, most of it had to do with my body's automatic response to certain stimuli.
In the morning, I would usually wake up, go for a jog with my jogging buddy along the way. Then jog back.
Get changed and go to work.
Have my lunch break at 12ish o'clock.
Continue my class until the bell that signifies the end of the day rings.
90% of the students would leave LDS. Some would stay behind for supplementary classes or research. Others would come to me and consult about personal problems or just to chat with me.
Most of the problems they ask are the things taught in class like Advance Summon, Special Summon and card effects.
On a similar note, I was EXTREMELY surprised to find out that in this dimension, Fusion, Xyz and Synchro were not a thing yet. Some years ago, I… well "I" had performed a strong Fusion Summon that wiped out an entire battle royale. Because of this, "I" was given the privileged to be one of LDS's teachers.
To be honest, it was a strange sensation. I had never participated in the match… yet it felt as if I had been there.
More importantly, this has caused a huge question:
When did this dimension came to be?
The answer was simple but is still an estimate. Firstly, Akaba Reiji is 9 years old. The official cannon of this anime starts when Akaba Reiji is 16. Not only that, this information wasn't included in the anime, however I've learned that Leo Corporation and LDS was founded 5 years ago. So, going by that estimation, this dimension had to have begun around 10 or more years ago. This could explain the gaps in "my" memories.
The main reason as to why this is all a speculation is because I had no memories of "my" life, EXCEPT that tournament. Even then, it was vague at best. All I could recall was that one scene where "I" brought out Chimeratech Overdragon and then win by default.
This brings me to another confusing memory gap, or plot hole as some may say it. Considering that this world hasn't use Fusion, Xyz or Synchro, why wasn't that event a global sensation? Surely, a guy who was able to perform an unknown Summoning technique would become a global sensation… I mean… look at Yuuya and his Pendulum Summons.
I do have theories, but none of them were conclusive. On one hand, I do feel like I am the Yu-Gi-Oh game character being inserted into the narrative to live the life. Like... the 5Ds game, World Championship 2009, 2010 and 2011. Or the Tag Force series. More so the later since the latest one that features a player insert character is Arc-V Tag Force Special, at least to my knowledge.
In any case, from my understanding, I summarized that this dimension began around 10 or so years ago. I or "I" had no memories of my birth or past with the exception of that one duel in the past. Or perhaps there are some or specific conditions that I have not triggered yet.
Oh well.
This is the third or so month of me living in this dimension. And to be fair, nothing too special happen. And honestly, it was quite monotonous. Wake up, exercise, shower, work, dismiss and then go home and sleep. Rinse and repeat. I've been doing this routine for a long time now and honestly… I don't mind this at all.
For starters, if I compare my life now to my previous incarnation, this is actually a healthier life style, albeit boring.
In my previous life, I had too many commitments… to games. Let's put it this way, I'm a gamer and I play games… a lot of it. And games nowadays have this method to make you keep playing them, like daily bonuses and events. Because of this, I wasn't able to focus on my life and only thought about going home and play games.
Next, taxes, bills, life insurance, NON-EXISTENT. I asked around my colleagues about all of these things and the response I got was a few weird stares. Then I joke around about those topics with, "Imagine a world where we need to pay for all of these."
The responses I got from them pretty much solidifies that they don't need to pay for all of these things. When I asked them about medical bills, they were mortified while saying, "What kind of a tyrannical system does a country run on if you are paying for being sick!"
In short, this place is a paradise. Which may explain why there aren't any beggars here. But at the same time, I managed to save a lot of money or DP as they call it here. Going back to my first point, I could go back to my old life of building my own rig and game. But alas, I decided against it… once I found out that the best computer game… was solitaire…
Yeah, I already have Solitaire at home. It's called FTK or in some cases combo decks with hundreds of extensions that ends up with the opponent being unable to play anything.
Speaking of card games, I've settled on a TeleDAD deck with my infinite resources. Reason being, as mentioned before, Fusion, Synchro and even XYZ are a huge deal in this current time so I decided against using them yet. Who knows in future, when they have printed some supports for them, only then I will show my hand… or a fragment of my hand. Pendulum decks are a definitive no while Link decks are a complete out.
Maybe some years after then canon? We'll see.
Oh, and one last thing, there was a huge announcement from Leo Corporation that they will soon release some Fusion, Synchro and Xyz cards. That and I was handpicked to test their decks due to my capabilities.
I had to say… I was NOT prepared for the amount of non-official cards they have. Those anime-only cards were my biggest bane since I had no knowledge of their existence. HOWEVER, there was a caveat. IF the cards are proven too weak or badly designed, the mass production of said cards can be scrapped and destroyed.
Personally, I do not like the idea of cards being destroyed because they are weak. In fact, till this day, I've kept my old cards until now. Look at some of the older cards for example, Instant Fusion. At launch, it was neglectable when you consider the amount of targets you can bring out with the card. Now? That card can be sold for hundreds! Another example is none other than the first-generation OG trap card, Mirror Force. Vrains instantly became my favourite thanks to this card being in there. Maybe I can copy the scene when the time comes.
In any case, I don't like to destroy cards. However, some cards need to be weeded out. ESPECIALLY the anime only cards. No exceptions. No matter how good some may seem or are.
I am in a room where the manufacturers dump their goods in. The goods being the cards they designed and are in testing phase. My job here is to create decks out of the millions of cards here. The job is… both easy and difficult at the same time. Easy because I know what I want and I am following my own Duel Terminal Database, my gift which lets me have all the cards I've touched, played and seen… in my old life. This gift was helpful for me to weed out the anime cards.
Since I am in a position to weed out cards, I took this liberty to completely annihilate all anime only cards. And I had to say…
"God damnit! Why are all of these cards anime only cards!"
Yes, I've torn through these cards for months now and all I found was anime only cards. That and some unrecognizable ones. Don't worry, I made sure to dispose of them.
Speaking of disposal, how do we do it?
What I would do is I set a huge bar for it to pass. Like say, can it win against my TeleDAD deck. The answer to it is unsurprisingly, NO. In their defense, I am pitting some rookie decks against a Tier-0 deck.
Tier-0 decks are essentially decks that are unmatched and is able to dominate the format easily. To summarize, they are able to achieve their win condition easily and quickly with little to no chance of stopping it.
HOWEVER, while TeleDAD is a Tier-0 deck, it was an old Tier-0 deck. If we play that deck in modern format, TeleDAD would lose. I mean… we have faster and stronger cards and combos now. We even have a deck that lock off the whole field… Decks with 10 billion omni-negates… Decks that say you cannot play anything…
So much fun…
With that said, even though I am setting the bar high, one must remember. This is Arc-V universe, a universe that is 2 generations ahead of the TeleDAD meta. So far, I am still unimpressed by the cards and decks they have designed. Even if some of the anime cards are impressive.
On the other side of the spectrum, my work ethics did receive some criticisms. Some of my seniors starts complaining how I was being insolent and me being a greenhorn shouldn't be too critical.
Let me give you an example of my critique.
One senior of mine designed a deck. I couldn't care less about remembering the deck name or archetype or playstyle. Only thing I know and remember was that it was an anime deck and I defeated his creation without any effort. Oh, and not with TeleDAD by the way, but a Normal Monster deck. We're talking about Level 4 monsters with 1900 or 2000 attack points, using spells and traps that are like floodgates or back row removal.
That shut him up. In fact, it shut them all up. Afterall, I am using cards that have already existed and pit them against their… strongest creations. Yet, they couldn't go through the hurdle shows that their decks are in fact NOT the best. Seriously, the people back home have more creativity than what these guys could come up with. I mean… if you think the best is an effect that lets you destroy your opponent's monster AFTER you attack it, then yes, the people back home are more creative than these ones.
Then again, we live in different a timeline and metas are different. So, I shouldn't be too hard on them. Keyword being shouldn't. However, I wanted to so sucks to be them.
Back to the matter at hand, due to my tyrannical standards, my co-workers and seniors tried to one up me. How? By making me develop the cards instead.
Ok, now I am in a bit of a pickle.
No, not because I find how difficult it was to develop them. Rather, that's the easy part. Because all I had to do was draw, write effects, put in values and I am done. It's like filling in a template on a certain card maker website except unlike the ones back home, these ones are legitimately being sent some kind of manufacturing process that implements AI.
While I do not know the whole specifics, I do understand some parts of it. Firstly, the AI process the rough layouts of the art people submit, then stores into its data banks by taking in names, keywords, as well as the creator of the cards. There could be others but these are the only things I know about. Then, it generates the artwork and then prints a prototype where we will test their usefulness.
The artworks that it creates are leagues and bounds further than the ones back home. The fingers, digits, proportions are just chef's kiss perfection. However, the scary thing, for me, is that the artwork is exactly how they would look like in my world. I tried one time with Eldlitch and it created both original and alternate artwork.
The easy part aside, the hardest part about generating cards… is which archetype do I want to introduce Arc-V with… back in my world we have… a lot of annoying toxic decks… that or tier 0 decks that easily wins you games…
Tearlaments…
Khastira…
Runick…
Sprite…
Just to name a few…
No, for now let's not bring them in first. Let's do this according to OCG metas, release dates and archetypes that are… healthy for now. There are some that are healthy and I can already see some that would help.
As I input my designs and submit them, I continued my work on weeding out the cards. While I am at it, my seniors simply sneer in anticipation about how my card designs would be. Then they would give me the same treatment.
Sure enough, days later, my card designs were created and everyone else rushed to critique my cards the first chance they could get. As I sat in my usual space and awaited their sneers and taunts, I was only greeted with silence. Followed by whispers and then a silent nod of agreement.
They all approached me.
"Kyou-sensei," one of them spoke up, "Can you give us a rundown of these cards you have designed, please?"
Another one spoke up.
"Is this how your vision for the card game?"
"Now I see what I was missing…"
"Tell us, what is your secret?"
It wouldn't be much of a secret if I tell them. All I told them was my vision for a quick and easy game. Well… easy enough for anime characters to understand. Not so much for most other people in my home.
I've seen some new players picking up the game and instantly hating on it just because, according to them, the game was confusing and hard or there are too many texts and they don't understand what is going on. I don't blame them. Especially when they came from other card games with only 1 sentence length for card effects.
It is like learning a second language after practicing their first language throughout their life.
The card games they play are… slower but also easier to understand. In fact, their card games are also designed so that it can bring in new players to try and have fun with. Yu-Gi-Oh! on the other hand does not care about it all. In fact, I want to say Yu-Gi-Oh! is like the dark souls of card games. Why the comparison? Because dark souls or soulsborne type of games are anecdotes used to describe a game that is excessively hard at first but becomes fun when mastered.
In any case, the main reason why I compare Yu-Gi-Oh! as the hard mode of card games is only one reason alone and that is reading and understanding the effects of the cards. Not only do you need to read card effects, you must also understand the meaning of the effects, the implications as well as the wording of the effects. Some card effects are absurdly strong if you know what you are doing but some are deceptively weak.
For example, Mystic Mine is deceptively weak at first glance. However, the card was and has been banned. The first time I saw the card, I assume no one would play it because first of all, it is a Field Spell and you can only activate Field Spell on your own turn.
The effect of Mystic Mine states that when either player controls more monsters than the opponent, they cannot activate monster effects nor attack. Since they did not state additional condition, this means that monster effects in the hand, field, graveyard or banished CANNOT activate their effects, provided if they have more monsters on the field compared to their opponent.
Then I learn of another trap card, Metaverse. A trap card that allows the player to activate or add a Field Spell from the deck. Combo this trap card, that activates during the opponent's turn, with this card, you essentially lock out one third of your opponent's deck during their turn.
And worry not, I am not introducing this card into this world. This card is banned for a very good reason and since there isn't a ban list here, I can imagine the amount of people abusing this card.
Then again, anime characters don't use multiple copies so… chances of using this card is… slim to none. But better safe than sorry.
Coming back to my creations… the cards I have chosen to create were the ones featured in Duel Terminal world, more specifically three archetypes, Gem-Knight, X-Sabers and Constellar. Later, I think I will introduce the Nekroz archetype. Those cards can definitely see play, especially with a certain archetype they already have and…
…
Oh my god! I became the Pegasus of LDS… nice.
Weeks later, I learned that there were multiple card developing companies around the world… and me restricting and destroying the production of anime only cards is simply stalling the inevitable…
More time went by and now I must return to designing some new cards. More importantly, choosing the right cards so that it would fit the current meta before we power creep them in future. As the last of my students leave the room, I sat behind my desk and view my duel disk.
Days ago, I interacted with the thing and learn a bit more of my innate capabilities and gifts. The Duel Terminal gift allows me to have knowledge and possession of every cards that I have seen, touch or heard of before. Yes, even some of the anime only cards but I would put those on hard lock. That, or I simply forget they existed and move on with my life.
Using this ability, does not only allow me to possess the physical copy of the card and the effects and combo chain of the cards. It also allows me to know the history along with the usage rates of said cards. And yes, it is accurate because I concur that Maxx C along with Ash Blossom were some of the top used cards. Based on this information alone, I understood that it pulls data from my world for my peruse.
Next on the list is Shadow Games. Having such strong powers, I enjoy the luxury of never losing a single life point. Heck, I've even built a reputation because of this. The thing about Shadow Games is that I am capable of drawing whatever cards I wanted. Next, my starting hand NEVER bricks so I can enjoy the luxury of having a full 60 card deck and always get the cards I wanted without fail.
Yes, I cheated and I don't care. Especially when I am the main protagonist right now. So, move aside Yuuya.
Hmm…
I suppose I should start a grand project of mine. That is to say, build a deck of my own but plays around my Shadow Games. I will need a deck that allows me to mashes many varieties of effects that fits the occasion. Be it One Turn Kills, Field Removals, Backrow Removals, Draw Engines, so many more. I need to plan for such a deck. But first, I need filter out what kind of motif I would want to focus on.
On one hand, I can be that annoying guy who stalls forever… on the other hand I can also be the guy that gives no chance… So many choic-
"Marvelous!" my thoughts were interrupted. I raised my head from my desk. The classroom is empty since every student has left. So, I turned to the entrance and could see and recognize my coworker at the door. The coworker in question wore a puffy frilled purple long sleeved shirt along with having messy and curly short brown hair with some dirty blond locks below his fringe. This is Marco, a minor character from the anime. He is also my co-worker and my senior.
In the anime, he plays a very insignificant role… a damn shame if you ask me, especially when I had the opportunity to work with him and know him.
His full name is Marco Kishiga and is the older brother of another teacher, Ai Kishiga. Marco is like that gentleman you meet a long the street, or better yet a man with fine tastes. Not to compare him to that of an English gentleman, but he does give off the vibe. That's not all, he likes beautiful things and appreciates art. Could mistook him for a Frenchman too, if only he had the stache and is holding a bag of baguette while wearing a beret.
"Kyou-sensei, I was told you were the one who designed this deck!" he said, "I must say, this deck is beautifully crafted! It has the most beautiful monsters and effects. On top of that, it's also Fusion themed."
"Marco-sensei, you scare me," I replied.
"Sorry about that my beautiful junior, but I must visit and pay my dues to the creator of this Gem-Knight deck!"
Ah yes, I did made that a week ago and it was well received. I honestly do not want to ask, nor want to give him the idea, but I am curious about one thing. Does he know about the FTK part of the deck?
"I am glad to know that you find the deck satisfactory."
"Oh, I am more than satisfied. This deck spoke to me and it just completes me-" then he went on and on about the deck.
"Nii-san!"
He stopped and turned around. Moving aside, I am greeted with another one of my coworkers, only this time is a woman. The woman started berating her brother on how he is disturbing my work and what not.
The woman in question is none other than Kishiga Ai, or in the global version, Fiona Murphy. She is an exclusive character from the World Duel Carnival and Tag Force Special games.
The first time I saw her, I was taken aback by her appearance. Not because she was pretty, but rather I thought I was in the wrong version of the series. I got used to it after making sure that I am not dreaming and checking some things. This surprising discovery made me believe that the Arc-V world I am in could be an alternate version of the canon. It can also be the detailed one as the anime is starting to look like the abridged series.
Not only that, she also called Marco "Nii-san". I supposed they are siblings now, at least in this Arc-V world I live in. Marco was an insignificant character in the anime and serves as a plot device for a certain event.
Kishiga Ai… Kishiga Marco…
I can see their similarities to each other to a certain degree. Brown hair, the cheerful smile that speaks kindness and passion. Marco with beauty. Meanwhile Ai is more…
"Kyou-sensei! How did you come up with such an idea for these archetypes." She asked in a calculative cool voice.
"That's a secret Ai-sensei," I responded, "Not that you would believe me if I tell you."
"Try me." She challenged in a playful teasing way.
"I am a guy from a different dimension that uses not just 3 summoning techniques but 5 summoning techniques! Our dimension is advanced in our dueling to the point that everyone can flood the board with monsters that can negate summons and card effects. We also have cards and decks so strong that banning and limiting them only hinders them insignificantly." I proclaimed honestly.
To be fair, I didn't even mind telling everyone in the world that I am essentially an alien from a different dimension but with knowledge of all the cards that are yet to be released.
The best kind of reaction is one where people would believe my word… however, the correct and normal reaction would be-
"There you go again, this whole different dimension thing. Kyou-sensei, aren't you like 21 now? Or are you in your chuuni phase?" she simply shrugs off my honest answer.
Girl, my chuunibyou or my eight-grader syndrome phase has already passed it's 10th year expiration date. Sure, I am in my 20s right now, thanks to my current body, but I am much older than I look.
As much as I wanted to retort, I simply took the harsh criticism in with my nonchalant "Yeah, it's good to be young again."
Jokes on you girl. You can be pretty and cute looking all you want, but I've given my honest answer to you. It may sound like I am in my delusional phase but truth is up to you.
Your eyes and ears see and hear the truth, but the mind is a consummate liar.
On a side note, I get the feeling that I am going to be the main reason why these decks are going to be considered the best decks and standards for their classes.
Half a year went by in a blink of an eye and nothing much has changed for me. I am still teaching in LDS, sharing my knowledge to the students, making new friends and students in the process.
Imagine starting your work in a place for the first time. That is exactly how this feel. Only this one is my second job, or rather, my second life. Nothing too special and at the same time, nothing bad has happened.
And I am fine with this.
Tho to be honest, I am actually sad about one thing. Nothing to do with my lifestyle or career mind you.
It's just…
WHERE IS MY HAREM!
I am sure, in my process of reincarnation, I did select the harem route. So where are all the ladies in my life!
On one hand I do have some cute co-workers. Ai, being one of them. Yet none of them seem to approach me! Here I thought I would be putting myself into a trashy smutty situation of easy come and go romcom situation yet reality seems to give me a huge smack in the face.
Do I need to work my way with the ladies in order to get my harem? Then, what was the point of me selecting the option in the first place!
Seriously, how do those anime characters do it…
Infinite S*****s…
In another world with my **********…
Ari******
Death M****
I have several more on the list of trashy isekai harem anime. I guess even if I get transferred into another world, I still need to follow the etiquette of dating. Oh well, time to put in the work.
I sat up and approached my Duel Disk. Honestly, this is actually the most important thing in the world for everyone. Your daily needs are all in this tiny device in your hands, even your identification. Oh, and don't worry, there seems to be some kind of biometric system that recognizes the person instantly. I tried it once with another one of my colleague's Duel Disk, tap into identifications and it shows mine instead of theirs. Not only that, had it not been for the colour of the device, I would have mistaken it for mine. Mine's grey by the way.
In any case, pulling up my notes, I started writing down my own personal log… including some of the Yugioh waifus they have here at a different log.
Speaking of waifus, I do enjoy the view. Like say my co-workers. Some of them. Bah who am I kidding, I like all of them. The ladies here are beautiful. Their figures are… well proportioned. However, I have already been here for like six months now, so I could get a feel for the standards I am going for.
Let's start of with this. Anyone below the age of 17 is completely out. Not only that, they need to be within my age group, like say the 20s. I actually don't mind them being over 30… as long as they aren't married… or make me question myself. Like how the ending of the manga did to me. To be fair, I have next to no further requirements in a partner. They can be demure all they want, they can be evil for all I care. Clumsy, awkwardness, strict. I don't care. In the end, those are just a part of their charm.
Although strangely enough, I do get this nagging feeling that I may or may not somehow get the attention of a junior. Other times, an up-town girl when it comes to class, grace and beauty? On another occasion, long hair? Yes, I do like long hairs but that is optional.
Hm…
If this was GX, and since GX has so much to do with Duel Spirits, I would like to have perhaps a female monster as one. Would be great we can get lovey dovey with each other. But that would make me wonder, who would be a great choice? Sure, I could get a cute little sprite to be an assistant, but honestly, I'm more into grown women… considering I am an adult.
Is this some kind of premonition? I guess not, it's just my wish and dreams. If it does come true, then I can imagine how happy and satisfied I am in the end.
More time went by… I have lost count how long had it been since I've grown sentient and aware of my former life. Time and again I would have some nightmares of the moment I die…
Other times I would dream of "what if" scenarios of my parents' lives after I pass away. Most of the time, I dreamt of them going on with their daily lives, as if nothing had happened. They do the same thing over and over again. Cleaning the house, tidying things, go to work, argue, chat and sleep. Rinse and repeat.
There are however times when I would have dreams where the whole house became devastated… they move away to a different place… divorce… or even become too depressed and commit…
No, those are nightmares and what ifs. Besides, in my culture, even if a family member pass away, we are capable of moving on instead of lingering in the past. So, I am sure that my parents should have move on by now…
Call it denial… but its just my own optimism.
Or it was just me undergoing my 5 stages of grief…
…
I need some kind of outlet to move on and forget…
