In the afternoon, it was Alchemy Class. Before the second week was even over, attendance for Alchemy Class had visibly dropped by nearly a quarter. That was not surprising, since most students felt alchemy was vague and mysterious and did not seem to help with Duel at all.
On top of that, the instructor Daidouji-sensei looked like the easygoing type. He never took attendance, did not care how many students skipped class, lectured to himself, and left as soon as time was up. As a result, alchemy was widely seen as the easiest class to coast through.
Even so, Daidouji noticed that despite his own act, that student from Yellow Dormitory, Yugen, sat with a straight back the entire time and kept taking notes. In the whole classroom, no one else was as serious as him. That focused attitude even made Daidouji wonder whether his lectures were really that good.
What surprised him even more was that this student chased him down after class to ask questions. Since coming to Duel Academy, across so many years and classes, Daidouji had never seen such a diligent student. Even model students like Asuka Tenjoin or the past Ryo Marufuji only listened carefully out of respect, not with this level of enthusiasm for alchemy.
"Teacher, after the first class, I became very interested, so I went to the school library and looked up a lot of related material," Yugen said in the hallway outside the classroom. He even took out a written list of questions he had prepared.
"I found some clues in various sources, like the development of alchemy in ancient Egypt, its connection to excavated artifacts from the Ruins of the same period, and some other things. I listed them all here. Could you see if I understood them correctly?"
Daidouji-sensei held his fat cat named "Pharaoh Atem" in one arm and took the list with the other, squinting as he examined it. Yugen continued, "All these clues suggest that alchemy has been connected to Duel Monsters since ancient times, right? Is that why Duel Academy offers Alchemy Class?"
Daidouji carefully read through the excerpts, then looked at him through his lenses for a moment before the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Ah, well, is that really the case? Yugen-kun, you are quite eager to learn," he said. "There are indeed schools of thought that believe alchemy originated in close connection with Duel Monsters, but that is only one view, and there is still a lot of debate in academia."
Yugen knew this was the official answer. It was true that the issue was still disputed, even though in the story Daidouji had clearly told Judai Yuki before his death that he believed the ultimate answer of alchemy lay within Duel Monsters. He had also believed that Judai Yuki was a natural-born top-tier alchemist.
"I also read many alchemy textbooks and introductions, and I feel that alchemy is very similar to 'Polymerization Summon,' teacher," Yugen said humbly. "This is just my personal view, so please do not mind if I am wrong. But the methods described in the books feel just like using Polymerization in a Duel to combine two ordinary monsters into a new and powerful existence."
"That process of researching and developing Polymerization monsters is like turning stone into gold," he continued. "Is that not a miracle in itself?"
Daidouji froze. Even an actor of his level could not hide his shock, and his always-squinted eyes nearly opened wide. He could not help it, because those words struck directly at the core of his own beliefs as an alchemist.
That insight was exactly what he had reached after years of research, something he had never said in class or shared with anyone. This student had arrived at the same realization just by reading sources and self-study. Of course, that was only natural, since this theory was something Yugen had heard directly from Daidouji in the story itself.
For perhaps the first time in front of a student, Daidouji put away his usual timid and foolish act. He narrowed his eyes and studied Yugen seriously. "Yugen Fujiki, right? You are very interested in alchemy?"
"Yes, teacher," Yugen replied earnestly. "I hope I can receive your guidance often in the future."
At that point, he laid his cards on the table. He wanted to learn card printing from Duel Academy's hidden master of card creation.
The day of the first phase exam finally arrived.
Like the entrance test, the phase exam was split into a written portion and a practical portion. For an Duel Academy, the school placed an unexpectedly high weight on written scores. After all, Judai Yuki had been among the top duelists at Duel Academy since enrollment, yet because of theory scores he had been stuck in Osiris Red without promotion.
The written exam was scheduled for the morning, with the practical test in the afternoon. Yugen arrived early at the exam room and finished the paper in about twenty minutes. However, the rules only allowed early submission after thirty minutes, so he had to flip back and forth through a paper he felt did not need checking, making loud rustling sounds that drew envy, irritation, and resentment from those around him.
Almost everyone else in the room was still writing hard, even model students like Daichi Misawa and Asuka Tenjoin, who were frowning in thought. With nothing left to do, he began spinning his pen. Some students who already knew him could not help but feel annoyed.
How could someone mess with people's mindset just by taking an exam?
The moment the wall clock passed the thirty minute mark, Yugen stood up without hesitation, handed in his paper, and walked out, leaving behind a carefree silhouette. The pressure on the remaining examinees jumped at once.
Only after a long while did Judai Yuki arrive, slapping the shoulder of Sho Marufuji, who was sleeping face down on his paper. "Unforgivable, Sho. Sleeping during an exam. Wasn't this a waste of coming here?"
"Ah!" Sho Marufuji jolted awake. "Big brother?"
"Wake up, Sho," he said with a grin. "The real battle is just starting now."
The remark immediately drew sidelong glances from nearby students.
Asuka Tenjoin frowned, wondering if arriving this late meant he thought the exam was trivial. Daichi Misawa also looked over, puzzled as to why someone so strong never seemed serious. The proctor, Daidouji-sensei, watched it all while casually petting Pharaoh Atem and nodded with a smile.
As expected, the two standout talents of this year at Duel Academy were something else. One had just arrived, and one had already left. Each had shaken the mindset of the entire exam room in his own way.
After taking his paper, Judai Yuki still failed to complete it. Only ten minutes later, he joined Sho Marufuji, and the two leaned together, snoring until the exam ended. Passing by the back door, Professor Chronos de Medici saw the scene and nodded in satisfaction.
It was just as he expected, weak students did not need help to fail the written test. That meant he only needed to do a little adjustment during the practical test.
After lunch, Yugen arrived early at the Duel Arena and took a good seat to wait for the practical exam.
"Early again, first place," Daichi Misawa said as he sat beside him.
Yugen smiled. "You too, second place."
"Ha, but after today, it might flip," Daichi Misawa replied with a smile.
The practical exams matched opponents within each dorm. Just as Daichi Misawa had predicted, the first and second ranked students of the dorm were paired against each other. In the completed Yellow Dormitory internal Exchange Duel Tournament, the two had ranked first and second without ever dueling, and both had perfect records.
So today was not just an exam, but a duel the entire Yellow Dormitory was watching closely. It would decide who was the king of Yellow Dormitory this year.
"Hmm?" Daichi Misawa looked toward the field below and showed surprise. "Is that the red Judai Yuki? His opponent is Manjoume?"