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Chapter 843
"Huh?" Johan was startled that Rafael suddenly brought him into the conversation, and he was taken aback.
"This child? Mr. Rafael says he has the power to see spirits," Pegasus said, looking at Johan. "While this doesn't necessarily make someone an excellent Duelist, it can help him go further when he steps onto the Duelist's path. This is proof of potential." Then, changing his tone, he added, "However, while the potential to bring out a card's power is important to me, the most important thing is still the heart."
"If I use the power of the **Millennium Eye** to look into this child's inner thoughts about **Duel Monsters** and **Card Spirits**, then I can completely feel at ease about entrusting the card to Johan boy."
However, as soon as Pegasus finished speaking, Rafael refused without hesitation: "Let's just pretend that didn't happen, Pegasus. I've had enough of experiencing your mind-reading ability once. If you try to mind-read Johnny, I can't guarantee what I might do to you."
Hearing this, Atem looked at Rafael somewhat strangely and asked, "If I remember correctly, Rafael, didn't you just say you were teaching Johan **Duel Monsters**? Although I don't know how long you've been teaching him, even if he's a beginner, he should have his own Deck, right? Why would you think it's better for Johan to use Pegasus's card?"
As a collectible card game, the appeal of **Duel Monsters** isn't just in the duel itself; card collecting and exchange outside of duels are also sources of fun. Dueling is certainly enjoyable, but opening card packs and pulling a powerful card with extremely high rarity can also be incredibly exciting.
Furthermore, besides Duelists like Hayato and Yugi who collect cards to build decks for dueling, there are also **Duel Monsters** card collectors who have little interest in dueling itself and specifically enjoy collecting cards.
Although I don't know what Johan's future holds, if he wants to go further on the path of **Duel Monsters**, a Deck he collects, integrates, and fosters a bond with from scratch should be more suitable for him to use than cards inherited from others.
"Johan does indeed have his own Deck now," Rafael said, "but Atem, if it were you, you should understand the fate-like attraction that exists between cards and duelists. It's not just during a duel that cards respond to the duelist and come into their hand at the right time; during the process of collecting cards, cards will also appear at the time they are meant to because of this attraction."
Spreading his hands, Rafael showed a helpless expression: "Johan only started getting into **Duel Monsters** recently after I adopted him. The time has been too short, and he fundamentally hasn't been able to collect cards suitable for himself. So now, all he has is just a transition deck pieced together from remaining card packs that the Card Shop discounted."
Generally speaking, when buying **Duel Monsters** cards, people will verbally say "buying singles" and "opening packs." The former refers to buying powerful cards that have already been opened from card packs by others, which are usually much more expensive than the price of a card pack if there are no accidents. The latter refers to buying card packs that are sealed individually, where no one can be sure what cards are inside before opening them.
However, despite saying "opening packs," actually, most people who buy card packs don't buy them by the "pack" but by the "box" or even by the "case." The reason for this is that the despicable Card Printer, Pegasus's Industrial Illusions, when packaging cards, has a concept where, to make rare cards as evenly distributed as possible, there is guaranteed to be one rare card in a Card Box containing twenty card packs.
Not everyone has Joey Wheeler's bizarre luck. If you're just buying singles of card packs, most people fundamentally probably can't put together any powerful cards. Since it's the same price anyway, buying singles is not as good as directly opening a box. Moreover, although it's said there's one guaranteed draw per box, actually, **Duel Monsters** has been released for so many years, and many people have found that the quantity of rare cards in a box fluctuates between one and three, with a fourth or even fifth rare card appearing only in extremely rare cases.
For this reason, many people, after pulling the usual limit of three rare cards from a Card Box, will sell the remaining unopened card packs at a discount to Card Shops for recycle. After all, even if it's a discounted price, it's still much more expensive than the price of pulling a stack of common cards. These recycled cards are then sold by the Card Shops to **Duel Monsters** enthusiasts who can't afford a whole box of cards.
This isn't anything to be ashamed of. Even Hayato and Yugi often open card packs like these, and occasionally they can get some good cards by chance. Joey Wheeler, who basically has no pocket money, only opens card packs like these, but even if that's the case, he still managed to put together a decent Deck.
However, Rafael should know that opening Card Boxes yields more rare cards than opening packs. Even if it's for what he calls "Duelists collecting cards themselves," why wouldn't he let Johan buy Card Boxes? Joey Wheeler asked Rafael this question, confused.
Rafael glanced at Joey Wheeler, his expression very helpless, and said, "Because, I'm very poor."
"Huh?" Joey Wheeler blinked, suspicious that he had misheard. Shouldn't those lines only come from him, the one with the poorest family background among everyone present? How could Rafael say that?
"Although I came from a very wealthy family, the family property was divided up by my relatives under various pretexts when I was young. After that, I joined Doma as one of Dartz's 'Three Knights.' Until Doma was disassembled, I didn't do any other work, and Dartz never paid me a salary, so I have no savings."
"As for the legacy after Doma was disassembled, although I had the idea that instead of others getting it by chance, I should take a portion myself, but..." Rafael paused, then looked at Hayato, who had suddenly started looking at the sky and admiring the white clouds, and sighed. "While it wasn't a complete loss, it's only enough to barely get by."
Honda frowned and said, "That doesn't add up. Even if you say that, Rafael, if you don't have money, why are you here? We heard the ticket price here is two thousand US dollars per person, regardless of size."
"You can't come in without a ticket? How could a ticket be such an inconvenient thing?" Hayato pushed up his non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose and said, "There is only one truth! You snuck in here with Johan, didn't you, Rafael!"
"Absolutely correct, Mr. Hayato!" Johan exposed him mercilessly from the side. "Not only that, but Teacher also spent a lot of money on maintaining his cards! He spends money lavishly and fundamentally has no consciousness of saving!"
Rafael was completely unable to argue. When he was young, his family was wealthy, and after returning to the human world, Dartz's Industrial Illusions always reimbursed him, making Rafael indeed habitually spend money lavishly without knowing how to save. He could only argue, "But **Eatos** and the others are my important family! This is a necessary sacrifice!"
"That's not what that phrase is for," Marik remarked.
And Pegasus also spread his hands helplessly: "In that case, perhaps it's not yet the right time for me to complete this card and find someone suitable to entrust it to. It's a pity, I finally found a Duelist like you, Mr. Rafael. But if I can't use the power of the **Millennium Eye**, as expected, I still can't feel at ease entrusting the card to a child."
Hayato glanced at Johan beside him and said to Pegasus, "No, it's not necessarily a pity yet. I told you long ago, don't rely too much on the remaining power of that **Millennium Eye** that might disappear at any time. To discern a person, there are other ways you can rely on besides something like the **Millennium Eye**."
As he spoke, Hayato raised the **Duel Disk** he was wearing on his wrist.
"Your meaning is?" Pegasus glanced at Hayato and said, "Using the **Duel Monsters** way? How embarrassing. I'm the one who created **Duel Monsters**, yet I completely failed to think of that. To see a person's attitude towards **Duel Monsters**, there's no more suitable way than a straightforward duel."
Rafael frowned: "If it's a duel, the Duelist's will and heart will be completely revealed. It is indeed a good way, and I can accept it. However, the opponent just has to be Hayato Kobayashi..."
After thinking for a moment, Rafael still nodded: "No problem. Let Johnny use a duel to prove himself."
Hearing Rafael's words, Johan's expression seemed very lacking in confidence: "Huh? Me? You want me to duel Mr. Hayato? But I have a feeling I..."
Although Johan didn't finish his sentence, his meaning was clear. Even as a child, he wouldn't have such an outlandish illusion. Having not been in contact with **Duel Monsters** for long, how could he possibly win against Hayato Kobayashi, who is the Duel King?
And Rafael guessed Johan's inner thoughts with one glance and said, "Are you worried you'll quickly lose to Hayato Kobayashi, Johnny? Do you think you can defeat the others here through a duel? Don't overthink it. The result is losing anyway. Losing to the Duel King isn't much different from losing to a third-rate duelist."
While saying this, Rafael thought to himself: 'That's a lie! Hayato Kobayashi's inhuman dueling style leaves an unforgettable deep impression on anyone who duels him. Get a taste of the hell-like duel experience at the highest level of **Duel Monsters** in advance, Kid...'
Since Rafael had said so, Johan looked at Hayato, took several deep breaths to gather courage, put on a small **Duel Disk**, and stood face-to-face with Hayato in an Open Space. He took out his cards, put them into the card slot, and activated his **Duel Disk**.
However, before Hayato inserted his Deck into the **Duel Disk**, Johan didn't draw a card; he just stood there. This wasn't Johan waiting for Hayato; on the contrary, Rafael saw the hesitation in Johan's heart.
Seeing that Johan still had a hesitant expression, unable to make up his mind, Rafael continued, "I know you're feeling some confusion now. This isn't how a Duelist should act, Johnny. A True Duelist, even if despair is right before them, will resolutely pour hope into their Deck. Even if they lose confidence in themselves, they will still be full of confidence in their cards."
"If your heart is filled with confusion, don't draw a card. This is the second lesson I will teach you, Lesson 2: Don't let your cards notice. As a Duelist, you must give your cards unparalleled peace of mind and trust them." Rafael paused, then added the last sentence, "Take the first step towards realizing your dream, Johnny!"
End of Chapter
"Huh?" Johan was startled that Rafael suddenly brought him into the conversation, and he was taken aback.
"This child? Mr. Rafael says he has the power to see spirits," Pegasus said, looking at Johan. "While this doesn't necessarily make someone an excellent Duelist, it can help him go further when he steps onto the Duelist's path. This is proof of potential." Then, changing his tone, he added, "However, while the potential to bring out a card's power is important to me, the most important thing is still the heart."
"If I use the power of the **Millennium Eye** to look into this child's inner thoughts about **Duel Monsters** and **Card Spirits**, then I can completely feel at ease about entrusting the card to Johan boy."
However, as soon as Pegasus finished speaking, Rafael refused without hesitation: "Let's just pretend that didn't happen, Pegasus. I've had enough of experiencing your mind-reading ability once. If you try to mind-read Johnny, I can't guarantee what I might do to you."
Hearing this, Atem looked at Rafael somewhat strangely and asked, "If I remember correctly, Rafael, didn't you just say you were teaching Johan **Duel Monsters**? Although I don't know how long you've been teaching him, even if he's a beginner, he should have his own Deck, right? Why would you think it's better for Johan to use Pegasus's card?"
As a collectible card game, the appeal of **Duel Monsters** isn't just in the duel itself; card collecting and exchange outside of duels are also sources of fun. Dueling is certainly enjoyable, but opening card packs and pulling a powerful card with extremely high rarity can also be incredibly exciting.
Furthermore, besides Duelists like Hayato and Yugi who collect cards to build decks for dueling, there are also **Duel Monsters** card collectors who have little interest in dueling itself and specifically enjoy collecting cards.
Although I don't know what Johan's future holds, if he wants to go further on the path of **Duel Monsters**, a Deck he collects, integrates, and fosters a bond with from scratch should be more suitable for him to use than cards inherited from others.
"Johan does indeed have his own Deck now," Rafael said, "but Atem, if it were you, you should understand the fate-like attraction that exists between cards and duelists. It's not just during a duel that cards respond to the duelist and come into their hand at the right time; during the process of collecting cards, cards will also appear at the time they are meant to because of this attraction."
Spreading his hands, Rafael showed a helpless expression: "Johan only started getting into **Duel Monsters** recently after I adopted him. The time has been too short, and he fundamentally hasn't been able to collect cards suitable for himself. So now, all he has is just a transition deck pieced together from remaining card packs that the Card Shop discounted."
Generally speaking, when buying **Duel Monsters** cards, people will verbally say "buying singles" and "opening packs." The former refers to buying powerful cards that have already been opened from card packs by others, which are usually much more expensive than the price of a card pack if there are no accidents. The latter refers to buying card packs that are sealed individually, where no one can be sure what cards are inside before opening them.
However, despite saying "opening packs," actually, most people who buy card packs don't buy them by the "pack" but by the "box" or even by the "case." The reason for this is that the despicable Card Printer, Pegasus's Industrial Illusions, when packaging cards, has a concept where, to make rare cards as evenly distributed as possible, there is guaranteed to be one rare card in a Card Box containing twenty card packs.
Not everyone has Joey Wheeler's bizarre luck. If you're just buying singles of card packs, most people fundamentally probably can't put together any powerful cards. Since it's the same price anyway, buying singles is not as good as directly opening a box. Moreover, although it's said there's one guaranteed draw per box, actually, **Duel Monsters** has been released for so many years, and many people have found that the quantity of rare cards in a box fluctuates between one and three, with a fourth or even fifth rare card appearing only in extremely rare cases.
For this reason, many people, after pulling the usual limit of three rare cards from a Card Box, will sell the remaining unopened card packs at a discount to Card Shops for recycle. After all, even if it's a discounted price, it's still much more expensive than the price of pulling a stack of common cards. These recycled cards are then sold by the Card Shops to **Duel Monsters** enthusiasts who can't afford a whole box of cards.
This isn't anything to be ashamed of. Even Hayato and Yugi often open card packs like these, and occasionally they can get some good cards by chance. Joey Wheeler, who basically has no pocket money, only opens card packs like these, but even if that's the case, he still managed to put together a decent Deck.
However, Rafael should know that opening Card Boxes yields more rare cards than opening packs. Even if it's for what he calls "Duelists collecting cards themselves," why wouldn't he let Johan buy Card Boxes? Joey Wheeler asked Rafael this question, confused.
Rafael glanced at Joey Wheeler, his expression very helpless, and said, "Because, I'm very poor."
"Huh?" Joey Wheeler blinked, suspicious that he had misheard. Shouldn't those lines only come from him, the one with the poorest family background among everyone present? How could Rafael say that?
"Although I came from a very wealthy family, the family property was divided up by my relatives under various pretexts when I was young. After that, I joined Doma as one of Dartz's 'Three Knights.' Until Doma was disassembled, I didn't do any other work, and Dartz never paid me a salary, so I have no savings."
"As for the legacy after Doma was disassembled, although I had the idea that instead of others getting it by chance, I should take a portion myself, but..." Rafael paused, then looked at Hayato, who had suddenly started looking at the sky and admiring the white clouds, and sighed. "While it wasn't a complete loss, it's only enough to barely get by."
Honda frowned and said, "That doesn't add up. Even if you say that, Rafael, if you don't have money, why are you here? We heard the ticket price here is two thousand US dollars per person, regardless of size."
"You can't come in without a ticket? How could a ticket be such an inconvenient thing?" Hayato pushed up his non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose and said, "There is only one truth! You snuck in here with Johan, didn't you, Rafael!"
"Absolutely correct, Mr. Hayato!" Johan exposed him mercilessly from the side. "Not only that, but Teacher also spent a lot of money on maintaining his cards! He spends money lavishly and fundamentally has no consciousness of saving!"
Rafael was completely unable to argue. When he was young, his family was wealthy, and after returning to the human world, Dartz's Industrial Illusions always reimbursed him, making Rafael indeed habitually spend money lavishly without knowing how to save. He could only argue, "But **Eatos** and the others are my important family! This is a necessary sacrifice!"
"That's not what that phrase is for," Marik remarked.
And Pegasus also spread his hands helplessly: "In that case, perhaps it's not yet the right time for me to complete this card and find someone suitable to entrust it to. It's a pity, I finally found a Duelist like you, Mr. Rafael. But if I can't use the power of the **Millennium Eye**, as expected, I still can't feel at ease entrusting the card to a child."
Hayato glanced at Johan beside him and said to Pegasus, "No, it's not necessarily a pity yet. I told you long ago, don't rely too much on the remaining power of that **Millennium Eye** that might disappear at any time. To discern a person, there are other ways you can rely on besides something like the **Millennium Eye**."
As he spoke, Hayato raised the **Duel Disk** he was wearing on his wrist.
"Your meaning is?" Pegasus glanced at Hayato and said, "Using the **Duel Monsters** way? How embarrassing. I'm the one who created **Duel Monsters**, yet I completely failed to think of that. To see a person's attitude towards **Duel Monsters**, there's no more suitable way than a straightforward duel."
Rafael frowned: "If it's a duel, the Duelist's will and heart will be completely revealed. It is indeed a good way, and I can accept it. However, the opponent just has to be Hayato Kobayashi..."
After thinking for a moment, Rafael still nodded: "No problem. Let Johnny use a duel to prove himself."
Hearing Rafael's words, Johan's expression seemed very lacking in confidence: "Huh? Me? You want me to duel Mr. Hayato? But I have a feeling I..."
Although Johan didn't finish his sentence, his meaning was clear. Even as a child, he wouldn't have such an outlandish illusion. Having not been in contact with **Duel Monsters** for long, how could he possibly win against Hayato Kobayashi, who is the Duel King?
And Rafael guessed Johan's inner thoughts with one glance and said, "Are you worried you'll quickly lose to Hayato Kobayashi, Johnny? Do you think you can defeat the others here through a duel? Don't overthink it. The result is losing anyway. Losing to the Duel King isn't much different from losing to a third-rate duelist."
While saying this, Rafael thought to himself: 'That's a lie! Hayato Kobayashi's inhuman dueling style leaves an unforgettable deep impression on anyone who duels him. Get a taste of the hell-like duel experience at the highest level of **Duel Monsters** in advance, Kid...'
Since Rafael had said so, Johan looked at Hayato, took several deep breaths to gather courage, put on a small **Duel Disk**, and stood face-to-face with Hayato in an Open Space. He took out his cards, put them into the card slot, and activated his **Duel Disk**.
However, before Hayato inserted his Deck into the **Duel Disk**, Johan didn't draw a card; he just stood there. This wasn't Johan waiting for Hayato; on the contrary, Rafael saw the hesitation in Johan's heart.
Seeing that Johan still had a hesitant expression, unable to make up his mind, Rafael continued, "I know you're feeling some confusion now. This isn't how a Duelist should act, Johnny. A True Duelist, even if despair is right before them, will resolutely pour hope into their Deck. Even if they lose confidence in themselves, they will still be full of confidence in their cards."
"If your heart is filled with confusion, don't draw a card. This is the second lesson I will teach you, Lesson 2: Don't let your cards notice. As a Duelist, you must give your cards unparalleled peace of mind and trust them." Rafael paused, then added the last sentence, "Take the first step towards realizing your dream, Johnny!"
End of Chapter
