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Chapter 41: The Definition of Genius
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 13:36:53 +0000 UTCThe preliminary rounds of the Prodigy Cup passed in a blur. Russell didn't encounter a single challenging opponent; the strongest he faced possessed a lone, blue-quality Black Iron card. He breezed through his matches using only Yoriichi, never once needing to call upon Kaneki, let alone his new trump card.
Now, the main competition of sixty-four players was set to begin. As Russell looked at the tournament bracket, he couldn't help but notice how the seeded players, the ones who had made a big splash in the preliminaries, were all conveniently placed in separate divisions. They wouldn't face each other until much later. So much for fair play, Russell thought with a cynical smile. There's definitely a shady deal here.
The guest seats in the grand arena were already filled. It was a prestigious crowd, featuring not only representatives from the New Metro Cardmakers Association and senior executives from Golden Talent Credit, but also a number of local celebrities. It was clear that the city placed a high value on this tournament. Or at least, they had before. Now, it was hard to say which party was paying more attention, and for what reasons.
In the VIP box, a Golden Talent Credit executive leaned toward the Association's representative with a sycophantic smile. "Director Whitemore, I didn't expect the Association to send you as their representative this time. You truly honor us at Golden Talent Credit."
The representative was, of course, Jonathan Whitemore. It was a logical choice. The fewer people who knew about the Spirit Begging Society's plot, the better. Letting Jonathan, who was already fully briefed, act as the official liaison was the safest move.
"Hello everyone, and welcome back!" a voice full of energy boomed through the arena's speakers, eliciting a wave of whistles and cheers from the audience. "This is your commentator, Moby, and you're watching the Prodigy Cup, brought to you exclusively by Golden Talent Credit!"
Russell recognized the name. Moby was a huge streamer, famous for his live commentary on high-level cardmaker duels. Golden Talent Credit had spared no expense. With Moby's charismatic opening, the main competition officially kicked off.
Russell's match was number seven, so he had some time to wait. He settled back in his chair backstage.
"And our first match is underway!" Moby's voice echoed. "On the left, we have Jansen Crowe from Metro University Prep! And you can see our contestant Jansen has gone with a very unique, dyed-blonde hairstyle today!"
Hearing the familiar name, Russell opened his eyes. Sure enough, there on the massive television screen was Jansen, waving dramatically to the crowd.
"Jansen has let it be known that his ace card is the Black Iron, gold-quality [Sea Warden Yaksha]!" Moby continued. "A true hero emerges from the youth!"
Familiar formula, familiar taste. Russell wasn't surprised at all that Jansen would boast about his card before the match even started. There's nothing interesting to see here, he thought, closing his eyes again to meditate.
"The seventh match will be held next. All contestants, please prepare."
The announcement over the backstage radio pulled Russell from his meditation. In the brief time he'd been focused, he could feel his mental power growing stronger, more refined. He had an extraordinary talent for this, he was sure of it.
He tidied his clothes and walked toward the waiting area. As the large doors slowly swung open, a brilliant beam of sunlight pierced his eyes, followed by the deafening roar of the crowd. Taking a deep breath, Russell walked forward with firm, steady steps.
"And here comes our contestant from the right! It's Russell from New Metro First High!" Moby's voice announced. "Russell had a very strong showing in the qualifiers, and we're all expecting great things from him in the finals!"
As he spoke, the massive screen in the center of the arena began playing a highlight reel of Russell's qualifying matches. The audience was treated to the image of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, with a single, swift slash, cleaving a large golden retriever in two.
Laughter erupted from the stands. "The Golden Retriever... What did the Paw Patrol ever do to you, man?" "I mean, he's definitely powerful. To take down the Golden-Haired Emperor in one hit? I'm convinced."
Many ordinary people made Paw Patrol cards to act as house guards. To see one actually used in a serious competition was absurdly funny.
At that moment, Russell's opponent took her position opposite him.
"And our contestant on the left is Hannah from Transit University Prep!" Moby announced as the referee stepped onto the field.
The whistle blew, signaling the start of the match. Russell's thoughts moved like lightning. The Association needs me to win, which means they need me to attract as much attention as possible from Golden Talent Credit and the Spirit Begging Society.
In that case...
A boy wearing a straw hat and a red vest appeared in front of Russell, a wide, guileless grin on his face.
He had chosen to lead with Luffy. A bronze-level, red-quality card. That should be enough to get their attention. This wave, he was using himself as the bait.
In the commentary booth, Moby faltered, his professional cadence breaking for a split second. He recovered instantly. "And it looks like our contestant Russell has summoned a completely different card from the one we saw in the preliminaries! This means he has at least two powerful cards at his disposal! It seems our contestant Hannah is in for a tough fight!"
From a professional standpoint, regardless of the new card's quality, a two-on-one situation was a massive advantage.
The audience, however, had a different take. "It's a Scout Card, right? Just for show." "Yeah, probably just trying to get some intel." "Cannon fodder."
But in the next moment, Luffy casually moved his right hand, and an overwhelming storm of fist-shadows instantly covered the entire battlefield, pummelling the ground into a cratered mess.
The scene suddenly fell silent.
No one would question Luffy's strength now. The director, with a keen sense of drama, gave the audience a lingering close-up of the ravaged arena floor. No one in the audience thought their face was harder than solid rock.
Across the field, Hannah's face was chalk-white. A sheltered flower from an elite school, she had never witnessed such terrifying, overwhelming power. Her own card had been obliterated by the storm of fists before it could even fully materialize.
"Russell wins!"
The referee's call broke the pin-drop silence in the venue, which immediately erupted into chaos. "What the hell did I just see? Her purple card was instantly killed?!" "Okay, I take back everything I said about a Scout Card. Russell's card has to be gold-quality at least!" "Does anyone know where that card is from? I've never seen it in any of the mythology atlases!" "He's so cool! I want one!"
The audience was completely shocked. It was, by far, the most crushing, one-sided battle of the main competition so far.
In the VIP box, the guests could naturally see what the general audience couldn't: Luffy was a bronze-level card.
"A monster," someone murmured.
The executives from Golden Talent Credit were just as stunned. After a moment, one of them casually turned to Jonathan Whitemore. "Director Whitemore, I remember you mentioning your daughter attends New Metro First High, correct?"
Jonathan glanced at him, a placid smile on his face. "Yes. This Russell is one of Nancy's classmates." He paused, then sighed theatrically. "He's a very proud young man. Achieved all this on his own, as an orphan."
The executive's eyes lit up, a flicker of hungry excitement in them. "Is that so? That's truly..."
"...a talent with a very promising future."
(End of this chapter)
Comments
Raphael Espinoza Angulo
That's taking the bait.
