028 Entertainment: Conductive Metal! Isn't the electric massage delightful? (～￣▽￣)～

A special update for readers "Yan Mingxiu," "Forget it, My Great Qin Has Already Fallen," and other dear book lovers. One is my very first fan, and the other has been faithfully voting nine recommendation tickets for me every day since I started publishing. Thank you all for your affection and support for the author and this novel!

...

"Tch!"

Watching Ghostbone's life points drop to zero, Keith, the boss, clicked his tongue in annoyance but said nothing more. He stood up, motioned to his three underlings, and prepared to leave.

"Stop."

As the four passed by Yugi, Yugi spoke up to halt them.

"Thief Keith... you're the famed bounty hunter Keith Howard, the one who swept up prize money from every Duel Monster tournament across America, aren't you?"

"Oh~ I didn’t expect a kid like you to recogni—"

Hearing his identity revealed, Keith, true to his love of being praised, curled his lips into a smug grin.

But before he could finish his reply, Yugi spoke again:

"Oh! Now I remember! Besides being a bounty hunter, you were also the former Duel Monsters champion of America, who lost to a little boy named 'Tom' in the last American Duel Monsters tournament, correct?"

Keith: (－＂－)#

"Hey hey hey! Mr. Former American Champion, would you like to have a duel with me?" (✪ω✪)

The four: ???

What the heck? How did the conversation suddenly jump to a duel challenge?

"I see you're missing four star chips on your glove to qualify for the semifinals, and as for me, counting the two star chips I just won from your underling Ghostbone, I'm still three short."

"You, the former champion, have six star chips; I, the unknown newcomer, have seven. So, why not wager all your star chips in a single, winner-takes-all duel?"

"..."

Keith fell silent. His silence meant he was considering whether to accept the challenge.

Seeing this, Yugi decided to add fuel to the fire:

"Why not bet all the star chips your team has? As for me, besides my seven star chips, I'll wager any three cards from my deck—your choice—as the missing portion. How does that sound?"

"...Fine!"

Ten star chips versus seven star chips plus any three cards from the deck.

No matter how you look at it, it's a great deal!

Star chips are plentiful on this island, but someone willing to bet their own cards—Keith had never encountered that before!

Besides, Ghostbone was his recognized underling. His underling had just been defeated, and now the challenger was proposing a duel. If he didn't accept, where would his authority as boss come from?

Most importantly—he, Keith Howard, could not possibly lose!

"However, we need to change locations first."

With that, Yugi took the lead, guiding the four to another dueling arena.

...

"A plain field, huh?... Well, even without a field boost, my deck doesn't need external power!"

Seeing the "plain" dueling arena, Keith instantly understood Yugi's little scheme in bringing them here.

A field that's one hundred percent plain! Without knowing what kind of monster cards Keith's deck used, choosing a "plain" field was the best way for Yugi to amplify his own Warrior-type monsters.

But our former American champion, the great Keith, didn't care in the least. In fact, he arrogantly thought to himself:

"What does a field boost matter? If my deck doesn't make you call me 'Dad,' I'm not Thief Keith!"

"Duel!"

Keith: 2000LP

Yugi: 2000LP

"I'll go first! Defense summon 'Pendulum Blade Torture Machine!'"

A red metallic mechanical beast appeared—its upper body humanoid, but its lower body replaced entirely by a gleaming guillotine blade, shaped like the prow of a ship.

(Pendulum Blade Torture Machine, Level 6, Defense: 2000)

"My turn."

Five cards in hand; this time, instead of Clayman, it was the recently spotlighted Sparkman!

"Attack summon Sparkman! Then equip him with his exclusive spell card, 'Spark Gun'!"

It was Sparkman's third appearance today! The first was in the early morning duel between Yugi and Seto Kaiba, where Sparkman flashed across the field as fusion material. The second was the battle against Ghostbone, taking the stage to attack Killer Clown Zombie, and then as material for the arrival of Dark Shining Hero. Now, for the third time, he appeared again.

"Activate Spark Gun's effect! Choose one face-up monster on the opponent's field and change its battle position."

Keith had only one monster on the field, and it was face-up, fitting Sparkman's effect perfectly.

Receiving his master's command, Sparkman raised his Spark Gun, aimed at the torture machine, and pulled the trigger—a blue-white electric energy ball shot forth from the barrel.

"Bang!"

The energy ball struck, but the torture machine failed to switch from defense to attack position.

"Heh heh!"

Seeing Spark Gun's effect fail against his monster, Keith snorted with amusement and explained his monster's special trait:

"Sorry, kid! My mechanical monster is clad in metal armor with a special ability to 'resist magic!'"

"In other words, attacks from Spellcaster-type monsters and spell card effects are useless against it, right?"

"Exactly!"

Well understood! But so what? Your Sparkman will be crushed next turn!

"Heh heh!"

"And what are you laughing at?"

Hearing Yugi's tactical chuckle, Keith's brow furrowed beneath his sunglasses.

Yugi smiled and shook his head, secretly marveling that, just as in the anime, mechanical monsters in reality truly possessed a "magic resistance" trait!

"Attack, Sparkman!"

Upon Yugi's attack declaration, Keith calmly watched. His torture machine was in defense position; even if Sparkman destroyed it, Keith would suffer no damage.

But in the next moment, as Yugi launched a string of bold declarations, Keith's composure shattered.

"Sparkman, true to his name, absorbs the power of light, converting the energy within him into destructive electricity during his attack! At this moment, his target—the torture machine—is a mechanical monster."

"Which means, when Sparkman's lightning attack hits, thanks to the 'conductivity of metal,' his attack power increases by 10%! Not only will the monster be destroyed, but the opponent will also suffer 'electric shock' piercing damage!"

Keith: ?!!

(Elemental Hero Sparkman, Attack: 1600 → 2240 → 2400)

With 2400 attack points, the torture machine's defense of only 2000 stood no chance against such a powerful electric strike. As it was destroyed, the lingering current surged toward Keith, granting him a most invigorating "electric massage."

(Keith: 2000LP → 1600LP)