009 A "Small Fry" with Only 800 Attack Points

"Tch! My turn. Draw!"

Sending his own Two-Headed Dinosaur King to the graveyard, Ryuzaki seized the turn, drawing a card from the top of his deck.

"Yugi, isn't it? Although this rock-type monster of yours, which I've never seen before—called 'Muka Muka'—has managed to boost its attack to over two thousand points through its unique ability and the effect of the Equip Spell 'Unicorn Horn', at its core, it's still just a second-rate monster!"

With that, Ryuzaki raised the card he'd just drawn and slammed it onto the duel table before him.

"Come forth! Triceratops!"

It resembled a triceratops, its skin a deep brown, with metallic spikes protruding from its sides and the center of its back. The two enormous horns on its head gleamed like steel bull horns.

(Triceratops, 6 stars, Attack: 1800)

"Due to the 'Wilderness' field, Triceratops's attack increases by 30%!"

(Triceratops, Attack: 1800 → 2340)

With the field's enhancement, the power of Triceratops now matched Muka Muka's.

But in this Duel Monsters game, when attacking directly, unless other card effects intervene, the monster with lower attack can never defeat the one with higher attack! Even a difference of just one point forms an insurmountable gap!

"You have combos? So do I! Activate Equip Spell 'Rising Body Temperature'!"

Whether in Duelist Kingdom or in later generations, there's only this one Equip Spell for dinosaur-type monsters.

As Triceratops's skin deepened towards a dark brown, the effect of 'Rising Body Temperature' began to take hold.

"With 'Rising Body Temperature,' Triceratops's power will increase!"

(Triceratops, Attack: 2340 → 2640, Defense: 2000 → 2600 → 2900)

"Tch!"

Watching the power of Triceratops steadily rise, even Yugi couldn't help clicking his tongue.

2640 attack points—over a hundred more than the 'Summoned Demon,' which only requires one sacrifice to summon; 2900 defense points—nearly matching the 'Millennium Shield,' also summoned with just one sacrifice!

"Charge! Triceratops! Tear that little bug apart!"

Although Muka Muka was a rock-type monster, its body resembled a spider so much that Ryuzaki simply considered it an insect.

"Based on the famous Late Cretaceous dinosaur, the 'Triceratops,' this card—also known as the Giant Multi-Horned Dinosaur—in its charge, its power cannot surpass my Muka Muka!"

Triceratops's attack was a 'charge,' a forward rush and collision!

Once Triceratops set foot onto the 'Grassland' on Yugi's side, it would still benefit from the field, but the boost would drop from 'Wilderness's' 30% down to 'Grassland's' 10%! This paltry 10% is only granted because dinosaur-type monsters are practically dragons in name.

(Note: In this story, winged dragon-type monsters can adapt to almost any field, receiving a 10% boost; occasionally, their own attributes may grant additional enhancements.)

With the field boost dropping from 30% to 10%, Triceratops's strength would fall from 2640 to 2280, lower than Muka Muka! Muka Muka would have exactly 100 points more attack than the charging Triceratops.

Just as Yugi, unknowingly giving his opponent a loophole, was about to order a counterattack, Ryuzaki's lips twisted into a smile and he said,

"I've already anticipated this! Just as your 'Muka Muka' isn't limited to one kind of attack, who says 'Triceratops' only charges?"

"What? Impossible!"

Recalling Triceratops's attributes and thinking of creature-raising games in his past life, Yugi's eyes widened, a bad feeling rising within him.

"Triceratops! Stomp the ground and trigger an 'Earthquake'!"

With a deep roar, Triceratops lifted its massive forelegs and smashed them down like a meteor striking Earth!

"Boom!"

The quake shook the entire field, instantly obliterating Muka Muka!

(Yugi: 2000 LP → 1740 LP)

"Haha! Did you see that? This is my true strength!"

Watching Muka Muka shatter into fragments, Ryuzaki couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Even if your Muka Muka is a somewhat rare effect monster with a 'special ability,' in front of my dinosaurs, it's just a 'second-rate monster' with its original 600 attack points! Always defeated in one blow!"

Truth be told, having Muka Muka—a second-rate monster—draw 'First Blood' in this duel was a monumental insult to Ryuzaki! Now, with his powerful Triceratops on the field and effortlessly beating his opponent, he finally felt a bit better.

Indeed, second-rate monsters are always second-rate, even if they possess unique abilities!

Yugi: "......"

Yugi said nothing, quietly following the effect written on 'Unicorn Horn,' returning it to the top of his deck. Then, when his turn came, he drew the card again.

"I set a monster in defense position and end my turn."

He didn't reuse 'Unicorn Horn,' nor did he charge forward in attack position as he had in previous duels. Facing the formidable Triceratops with 2640 attack points, Yugi chose to defend.

"Defending, are you?"

On his turn, Ryuzaki drew a card and, without further action, ordered Triceratops to trigger another earthquake!

The only monster on Yugi's field, selected as the attack target, revealed its true form—

Half a meter taller than Yugi himself, its body composed of dark gray stone blocks, feet and shoulders pale yellow, its head a small red semicircle—a colossal stone hero.

Elemental Hero Clayman!

(Elemental Hero Clayman, 4 stars, Defense: 2000 → 2800)

"What? A monster with 2800 defense points?!"

Seeing Clayman's defense, Ryuzaki was dumbfounded; it was only 100 points less than his Triceratops's defense!

"Clayman, full name 'Elemental Hero Clayman.' Born from the 'Element of Earth,' it's a warrior-type hero monster. Thus, not only does it receive the 30% boost from the 'Grassland' field, but its unique nature allows it to draw an additional 10% power from the depths of the earth beneath the grass!"

With a calm expression and steady voice, Yugi explained smoothly.

"Damn!"

Hearing Yugi's explanation, Ryuzaki gritted his teeth, swallowing this hidden loss. He hadn’t expected this giant stone man to gain such an outrageous boost! Truly unexpected!

(Dinosaur Ryuzaki: 1700 LP → 1540 LP)

When a low-attack monster assaults a high-defense monster, neither is destroyed nor sent to the graveyard through battle, but the player with the lower attack suffers damage equal to the difference between attack and defense.