Spirit Power Studies.
Although Hikaru's Spirit Adaptability had already reached a terrifying eight stars, the best among his peers, only slightly below Jaden, who appeared to be four stars but whose actual level was anyone's guess, if there was a way to further increase his spirit power, Hikaru would absolutely welcome it.
Regardless of anything else, Professor Viper was a professional who had researched and developed spirit power in this world. His knowledge in that field was surely far superior to Hikaru's, someone who had arrived in this world midway through.
Combined with the fact that Hikaru had been wanting to see what Viper was up to, the next day, after finishing his regular classes, he headed straight to the conference hall.
Inside, some friends had arrived early, while other classmates were still trickling in. Hikaru spotted Jim, waved hello, and sat down beside him with a smile.
"Hikaru, you're attending this class too?" Axel Brodie sat next to Jim. The two of them greeted Hikaru together, then asked curiously.
"Of course. If it can strengthen spirit power, it's worth listening to no matter how you think about it."
The two nodded.
"By the way, Hikaru, what about that guy called... Dioxide? Haven't seen him around."
"Ahem." Hikaru coughed awkwardly twice. "His name is Bastion Misawa."
He enjoyed the running gag of pretending to forget names in public, but privately he still needed to correct others. "He went to the Xyz Dimension for a diplomatic mission. Come to think of it, it has been quite a while."
Hikaru felt a twinge of concern for Bastion, but considering he had gone with KaibaCorp's main contingent, if anything went wrong, Kaiba himself would handle it. There was no need to worry too much, so he simply gave a brief explanation.
"I see." Jim nodded.
An opportunity like that was certainly more meaningful and important than sitting in class at the academy. If Jim discovered an unseen archaeological site, he would surely take a leave of absence and rush to the location too.
"Axel, Professor Viper is from your academy, right? Has he taught this kind of thing before?" Hikaru asked casually.
Axel shook his head.
"No, the professor prefers cultivating military discipline and practical combat ability." Even he was somewhat curious, glancing toward the podium.
He was no ordinary student.
In truth, he was a mercenary employed by Pegasus specifically to monitor Professor Viper. But even he had never seen Viper teach a course like this.
As the bell rang, the conference hall was packed to the brim.
Perhaps everyone was interested in improving their spirit power, or perhaps because it was the first course taught by a visiting professor, many students had come to see what it was like.
Just as Professor Viper walked to the podium and scanned the audience, frowning slightly, the conference hall doors opened again. One red uniform, one blue. Two figures rushed in together. The one in red noticed everyone staring at him and broke into a nervous laugh, sweat on his forehead. "Sorry, sorry! Jesse got a little lost, so I went to find him..."
"My apologies..." Jesse gave an equally sheepish laugh.
Quite a few people looked on with amusement. Late to the very first class, at such a critical moment. Surely there would be a punishment?
But Professor Viper merely glanced at them and said flatly, "Sit."
Jaden quickly pressed his palms together in thanks, exchanged a look with Jesse, and ran over to where Hikaru was sitting.
Many people genuinely admired his nerve. He was late, yet still dared to sit right next to Hikaru in the very front row, directly facing the professor.
But then again, remembering he was the kind of person who could sleep through Professor Crowler's classes, everyone just pretended not to notice.
Serena and Lulu grumbled. Thanks to Hikaru's influence, Jaden had been working hard to attend classes normally instead of going fishing. But with the addition of his senior Jesse, the two of them together were living a bit too freely.
"Now then, quiet."
Professor Viper walked calmly to the lectern and called out twice. As though some strange amplifier were at work, everyone in the hall heard his voice at the same volume.
That single display made many students' eyes light up.
This man had the real deal!
"Oh, that must be Spirit Force Application 13..." One professor recognized the technique. "Who would have thought? Viper looks like all brawn, but he's actually a dedicated researcher."
Spirit Force Application 13?
A flicker of confusion crossed Professor Crowler's face.
The other professors who had come to observe the first class noticed his expression and, assuming he was feigning ignorance, didn't bother explaining.
"Spirit Force Applications" referred to practical techniques developed by KaibaCorp and other spirit researchers. They encompassed various ways to use spirit power in daily life and dueling, with development currently up to number 16.
Number 13 referred to the "Volume" ability.
This was based on research into the phenomenon that the louder duelist in a match seemed to draw stronger cards, and the logic derived from that observation.
On stage, after demonstrating this technique, Professor Viper naturally segued into explaining Spirit Force Applications in general.
That was right.
In this world, Professor Viper's specialty was Spirit Dynamics.
Hikaru listened to the lecture from his seat, nodding continuously.
He had truly underestimated this professor.
Before, he had assumed Viper would act just like in the original story: distribute wristbands, harvest students' Duel Energy, and use it to revive Yubel. After all, there were plenty of excuses to get students to wear the bands.
For instance, distributing them in class under the pretense of measuring spirit power. Viper had no shortage of justifications.
But unlike Leo Akaba, who had simply pushed students to extremes or trained them as soldiers, as someone who had earned his professorship through genuine ability, Viper naturally possessed exceptional expertise and knowledge in this world.
No wonder that in a world brimming with spirits and dimensional travel, Yubel had still sought out this particular professor.
So his specialty was spirit power research!
If that were the case, perhaps he didn't even need students to duel in order to collect Duel Energy?
"Through my research, I've gradually discovered a very convenient method for improving a duelist's spirit power." Professor Viper spoke calmly.
"What?!"
"Really?"
"Professor, can ordinary people learn it too? I still can't see spirits. Can I still learn it?!"
The conference hall erupted like a boiling pot, everyone clamoring for a definitive answer from Viper.
Viper raised both hands and pressed them downward, signaling for quiet.
Then he opened his mouth and revealed this "secret." "It's quite simple. It's understanding."
Understanding?
"Learn the story behind each card. Learn the story of your own cards. Learn the secrets hidden behind those cards. Then form a connection and understand their emotions and feelings." Professor Viper spoke with his hands behind his back.
"Take Hikaru, for example. Through his understanding of Fusion and his dedication to it, his spirit power has grown by leaps and bounds over the past two years. That student named Axel Brodie ventures through fire and danger, improving his affinity with fire spirits.
And that student named Jim, I believe, has a natural aptitude for studying and excavating. His specialization in archaeology means he deeply understands geology and fossils, which is why his spirit power has steadily increased, attracting more fossil spirits to him."
That made sense.
Quite a few students had a moment of realization.
But then, the students who had reached this realization couldn't help feeling deflated.
Where were they supposed to find Jim's kind of talent? And they certainly couldn't match Hikaru's borderline insane level of "obsession." How could they possibly achieve what those people had?
Bang, bang, bang!
Professor Viper rapped the blackboard.
"Quiet!"
"Is this really the extent of Duel Academy's main campus students?!"
The students gradually fell silent, staring at him.
"Duel Academy has countless extracurricular clubs: tennis, archery, or the Fusion Division that's quite famous in the outside world. These interests are what will help you grow and improve your spirit power.
But I know that among you, some are naturally gifted, while others joined clubs just to go through the motions and coast through the days.
That's perfectly normal."
He continued. "Compared to the naturally talented, those who had fortuitous encounters from childhood, those who always knew what they wanted to do, the vast majority of you stumbled your way here without a clue.
But!
You fools!
Have you forgotten?!
The reason you came to this school, to this isolated island, is because you love dueling!"
Those words jolted everyone awake. Students who had been feeling regret moments ago were suddenly fired up like they had been given a shot of adrenaline.
That was right!
Just duel! All they needed was to duel!
Everyone loved dueling, so dueling was enough!
Duel more!
Hikaru tapped his pen lightly and jotted a few notes.
Although things had developed differently from his memories, it had circled back to this after all?
Still, this seemed like a good thing.
After all, this wasn't some underhanded scheme, but a genuine method of teaching students how to grow stronger.
Seeing the students' enthusiasm ignited, Professor Viper nodded slightly, then opened his lecture notes and spoke. "Well then, before you figure out what interests you want to pursue, why not listen to what I have to share today?"
"Go ahead, Professor!" someone cheered.
Professor Viper nodded gently.
"Then let me tell you the story of a King."
?
Hikaru froze in his seat.
Behind him, Jaden perked up his ears with curiosity.
Viper's course content was useful even for him, and it wasn't the dry, boring kind, so he was listening with genuine interest.
Then Professor Viper began telling the story of a certain "King."
Legend had it that the King was born of noble blood, inheriting a powerful darkness. He ruled over countless dimensions, with many strong warriors under his command. But when his kingdom came under invasion, he was forced to become ruthless.
To protect the weak, to defeat the invaders, he had to become cold, crueler than his enemies, willing to use any means necessary. He ruled his subjects with brutal methods, oppressing everything in sight, all so that "peace" would endure forever.
"That's so stupid!" One student burst out laughing.
"Exactly! He's basically just a tyrant, isn't he?"
Jaden clutched his chest. For some reason, his heart ached.
Strange, since the kind of person he normally despised most was exactly this type: someone who claimed to act for others' sake while doing terrible things.
"I can sort of understand it." Jesse spoke up from beside him. "For this guy, he had absolutely no idea what the future would hold. So he could only rush to pick the path that was most convenient and most likely to succeed."
"Huh? Jesse, you think that's fine?" Syrus couldn't comprehend. "I could never accept something like that! Isn't that the same as what Leo Akaba did?"
"No." Hikaru cut into their conversation. "Leo Akaba knew what he was doing was wrong, acted on his own self-righteousness, and chose aggression. But this King simply made the wrong choice among countless options."
"Jaden."
?
Jaden didn't understand why Hikaru had suddenly turned the topic to him.
"Learn from the mistakes of the past to guide the future." Hikaru rested his chin on one hand, eyes half-closed, and quietly shared his thoughts. "What's already happened, what's already become history, can never be changed.
So for us, the most important thing isn't to deny or whitewash the past, but to acknowledge the facts, then change the present, and prevent such things from happening again."
Jaden scratched the back of his head, took a deep breath, and laughed. "Ha ha ha, Hikaru, of course I get it!"
Hikaru shrugged indifferently, trying to look as relaxed as possible, as though it were just casual conversation.
Nearby, Chazz watched Jaden's reaction and couldn't help pinching the bridge of his nose.
"That concludes the story of the King. Now, what we'll be discussing today is..." Viper slowly pulled out a box of cards from his pocket, spread them out, and the projector automatically displayed their images.
"In the King's story, they were defeated as villains, but in truth were on the side of justice: the Lightsworn." Viper flipped through his notes, delivering the final portion of the lecture. "I'm sure many of you have already earned the Lightsworn's recognition at the Nexus. But what you know is still only a fraction. To improve your compatibility with the Lightsworn, understanding the story behind them is essential."
He covered some Lightsworn-related content, and the class came to an end.
Honestly, it was remarkably detailed. Even Hikaru couldn't help jotting down extra notes in his notebook.
On one hand, he had been in this world for quite a while now, and many memories from his previous life weren't as clear as they used to be. On the other, he had only ever known a rough outline of the Lightsworn. There was plenty of knowledge he simply didn't possess.
Professor Viper not only filled in those gaps but also covered the wars and events that the Justice World dimension had experienced in this world. These were things Hikaru had been completely unaware of, extremely helpful for studying and mastering the Lightsworn, and then finding a way to meet Judgment Dragon.
This was far more productive than stumbling around blindly.
"Students who didn't hear about the spirits they were hoping to learn about, don't be discouraged." He slowly scanned the students, his gaze lingering longest on Dimitri's face.
Dimitri's computational ability and Deck control were exceptionally strong compared to ordinary students. But the one area where he fell slightly behind his peers was his spirit power, which was quite poor.
Precisely because of this, once he understood the concept, he became interested in the secrets behind every card, since any card could potentially boost his spirit power.
"Over the coming semester, I will gradually explain the backstories, characteristics, and preferences of each faction I'm familiar with, so that everyone can better understand how to connect with their friends and partners. And even if you're not interested in these factions, that's fine too, because I'll also be covering various forms of knowledge about Fusion monsters that only our dimension possesses."
He gently closed his book and addressed the students. "Trust in my expertise. You won't be disappointed."
Clap, clap, clap.
Hikaru was the first to applaud.
Then sustained applause filled the entire conference hall. Even Professor Crowler joined in, leading the clapping.
Clearly, Viper's class had satisfied every student and teacher present.
And precisely because of this, students eager to grow stronger couldn't resist the urge to seek Viper out with questions after class. They swarmed him the moment the bell rang, cards in hand, calling out to him, hungry for knowledge that could make them stronger.
Dimitri especially felt that the professor had paid him special attention during class. Every time he asked a question, Viper prioritized answering him, and they had even made eye contact as class ended...
The professor must have recognized his talent!
Finally, for the first time besides the Division Chief, a stranger he had just met had acknowledged his abilities!
...
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