Inside the private dining room, Li You and the members of Team Satisfaction settled into their seats. Dragon Xingdou eagerly grabbed the menu, placed the order with practiced speed, then couldn't resist whipping out his Duel Disk.
He tapped the interface and a holographic projection bloomed into view. "Let's go, let's go! Let's see what duels are trending today!"
Nine-Star Tenma followed suit, activating the same interface. "Ahaha, with everything that happened today, I almost forgot to log in!"
Li You looked on curiously. "What's that?"
Tenma blinked. "Wait, you don't know? This is Duel Link—the most popular game in the world right now!"
"Duel Link?" Li You repeated. "I think I heard you guys mention it earlier."
Yin Xingren explained, "It's a global online game officially launched by the Link Alliance. Duelists from every corner of the world can log in and battle each other on the network. You just need to upgrade your Duel Disk with the online module, and you can download it instantly."
"Once you've scanned your real-life deck into the system, you can duel using your own cards virtually—it's super convenient. And matches in the game earn you points, which can be used to pull booster packs and strengthen your deck."
Liu Xinghun chimed in, "There are tons of rare and legendary cards in Duel Link—many of which are almost impossible to collect in real life. But in the game, they're accessible through events and missions. It gives free-to-play players a real shot at building powerful decks."
Yin Xingren nodded. "Yeah, a lot of people are addicted. In fact, some even prefer dueling online to real life. It's faster, flashier, and you never run out of cards."
Xingdou grinned proudly. "That's right! We all play. And in Duel Link, you can form teams and compete in ranked tournaments each season. There's a solo ladder and a team league, with top-tier rewards. Our Team Satisfaction? We've been crushing it!"
He turned excitedly to Li You. "Hey, you should totally join us!"
Li You chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe once I get back, I'll download the game and check it out first."
Xingdou wasn't pushy. He just handed Li You his in-game ID. "Add me once you're in. We'll team up!"
Li You actually found himself intrigued. And I wonder… do duels in the game count toward system progress?
The system must've picked up on his thought.
[Yes. Duels conducted through Duel Link are fully recognized and will be included in your battle record, Host.]
That was all the confirmation Li You needed.
After they finished eating, the group grew even closer, laughing about their future at the academy, looking forward to the three years ahead.
The only girl in the group, Dragon Xingxin, was soft-spoken and didn't contribute much to the conversation. She simply scrolled her phone quietly while listening in.
Suddenly, she interrupted her brother's loud boasting. "Li You's duel is trending on Duel Link."
Duel Link wasn't just a game—it was the Sacred Star Realm's largest social platform. Duelists frequently uploaded replays of real-life or in-game matches. The most exciting ones would get algorithm boosts and spread like wildfire across the net.
Xingdou beamed. "I knew it! There's no way a duel that epic wouldn't make the front page!"
Li You tapped open the app curiously.
Sure enough, his three duels had all been uploaded, each racking up views.
The first match—his victory over the proctor using Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon—was already tagged as "Perfect Score Duel – Historic Record Breaker".
Saint Star Duel Academy was the most elite school in the realm. Scoring a perfect mark in both written and practical exams shattered the academy's historical records—and made Li You's name explode across the net.
The second match, Li You vs. Zhu Xiashan, had less general interest, since the opponent wasn't particularly famous.
But the moment Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon hit the field, the entire Xyz Alliance lit up in uproar.
Within their culture, the Over-100 Numbers—known as the Super Numbers—were sacred icons. The return of such a legendary monster sparked endless speculation:Who is this duelist? Where did he get it?
The third match—Li You vs. Liu Xinghun—sent things into overdrive.
Liu Xinghun was already a rising star in Duel Link's Ranked Ladder. Seeing him get obliterated in a one-turn kill by a Tachyon Dragon made waves across the site.
More than that—each alliance was in quiet competition with the others. They all saw themselves as the strongest. So when a player from outside their system clashed with one of their own?
The peanut gallery turned it into a turf war.
The Xyz Alliance was thrilled. They'd already claimed Li You as one of their own.
"He's ours!"
"The prodigy of the new generation!"
"With Tachyon back in the spotlight, Xyz will reign supreme again!"
"Make Xyz Great Again!!"
Li You stared at the comments section, utterly speechless.
"Did I ever say I was from the Xyz Alliance?" he muttered. "You guys sure are fast at assigning labels."
He'd never aligned himself with any particular style.
He considered himself a universal duelist—someone who could wield any summoning method to its full potential.
But the internet didn't care about nuance.
If it's trending, it's truth. The person involved? Just clickbait.
Still, as he scrolled through the videos, another clip caught his eye.
It was a community-made deep dive into the lore of the Super Numbers.
"Super Numbers are a unique subset of Xyz Monsters. Though they span multiple archetypes, they all share one trait: a [No.] in their name."
"No one knows how many actually exist. The community speculates the range runs from No.1 to No.107—a total of 107 cards."
At that line, Li You chuckled to himself.
"No.1" isn't even the lowest.
There's a "No.0" too.
But apparently, no one in this world had ever seen or summoned it.
Which meant… no one even knew it existed.
He closed the video and smiled faintly.
Looks like I've still got a few surprises left up my sleeve.