San Tian Liang Jiao
Chapter 1202 The True Duelist
“I… actually lost…” Snow slumped to the ground, a look of disbelief on his face, muttering, “Why… why did my thorough and meticulous tactics lose to your unreasonable, chaotic strategies?”
“Ha! What a joke~” Feng Bujue laughed loudly, “You think my tactics are chaotic, purely because your level is low and your will is weak.”
“A duelist’s will, huh…” Snow shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Heh… I still don’t know what that thing is.”
“Is that so…” Feng Bujue responded, “Then let me tell you a little bit.” He paused for half a second, then continued, “Just now… in that last turn, if you and I switched places, your choices would have been different, right?”
Snow thought for a moment and nodded, “If it were me, first of all, I wouldn’t have activated the effect of ‘Millennium Scales’ during the draw phase.”
“Why?” Feng Bujue asked.
“In that situation, isn’t it better to draw a card?” Snow replied, “Although there’s the effect of [Curse of Resentment], judging from the previous situations of [Hand Overdraft] and [Magic Melee], you’ve already drawn many magic and trap cards in a row, so the probability of drawing a monster card this time is very high.”
“So what if I draw one?” Feng Bujue asked.
“If you draw one, you can summon it to the field during the main phase!” Snow replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Oh.” Brother Jue responded lukewarmly and continued, “And then?”
“Then comes the battle phase. If it were me… I wouldn’t have chosen Tamamo-no-Mae to attack [Nodera Bo] at all.” Snow replied, “I’d use [Sakamoto-kun], who also has 2000 attack power, to take [Nodera Bo] down with him, and then use Tamamo-no-Mae to attack [Corpse Monster]. This way… I can have an extra god card standing on my field—because Tamamo-no-Mae won’t be taken away by [Dragged into Hell].”
“Oh.” This time, Feng Bujue responded absentmindedly.
“Then, I’d use [Nameless King]'s two attacks to destroy [Shadow Token], and knock off 5000 LP. Finally… I’d use the normal summoned monster I drew in the draw phase to make up for the last 500 health points,” Snow said. “That’s the normal way to think, right!”
“Yes, this way of thinking precisely reflects the gap between you and a ‘true duelist,’” Feng Bujue replied.
“Tch… It’s clearly just good luck. Can you deny that my tactics are more reasonable?” Snow retorted.
“Of course I can.” Feng Bujue replied, “Let me explain to you step by step…” He paused and continued, “First of all, the most basic part of your tactics has a problem, because it’s based on an ‘assumption,’ and that assumption is that I ‘will draw a normal summoned monster of four stars or less.’”
“But probabilistically speaking…” Snow wanted to interject.
But Feng Bujue cut him off, “Probabilistically speaking, I might draw it, or I might not. I’ll just ask one question… what if I don’t draw it?”
“Hmph…” Snow replied unhappily, “If you don’t draw it, then you don’t draw it! So what if you draw a magic card and it’s discarded by the effect of [Curse of Resentment]? According to my tactics, there can be an extra god standing on the field!”
“Yes, there can be an extra god standing on the field,” Feng Bujue replied, “But what’s the cost? If that cost is ‘a certain chance’ to let you ‘live to the next turn,’ I don’t think it’s worth it. Because as long as I can still draw cards, it means there’s still a chance to win.”
“Absurd…” Snow said, “What if my field is full of ten cards, and you have an empty field and zero cards in your hand… at this time it’s your turn, and there’s only one card left in your deck. Do you still think you can win?”
“Of course.” Feng Bujue replied firmly, and as he spoke, he raised his duel disk, “True duelists all have a belief—no matter how unfavorable the situation is, no matter how many ‘gods’ are standing on the opponent’s field, or how strong those ‘gods’ are… as long as there’s even one card left in my deck, there’s still hope of winning.”
“That kind of belief is useless in 99% of cases!” Snow exclaimed, “In fact, how many last-minute comebacks are there? Card games are about gradually accumulating advantages and finally turning them into victory!”
“I don’t need you to tell me that!” At this moment, Feng Bujue suddenly shouted excitedly.
His shout startled Snow quite a bit.
From the beginning of this duel until now, Brother Jue had displayed states such as passionate, chuuni, ruffian, and crazy, but this was the first time he had shown such an expression.
“I know what card games are all about! I also know what tactics have a high win rate!” Feng Bujue shouted hoarsely, “Those ‘correct’ and ‘brilliant’ choices, as long as you spend a little time… everyone can think of them, and everyone will get the same answer. Because the so-called ‘correct’ choice is nothing more than the choice that has a greater than 51% probability of leading you to victory.”
He took a breath and added, “Then what about ‘wrong’? Choosing a choice that will lose ninety-nine times out of a hundred is naturally ‘wrong’ and ‘unreasonable.’ Yes… I understand the reasoning…” At this point, he calmed down a bit, “But should the tactic that will only win once out of those hundred times be abandoned and ignored? Should the person who makes that choice be despised and ridiculed?”
Hearing this, Snow’s expression also changed. If it were before this duel, he would have scoffed at such a question and clearly answered—yes.
But at this moment, Snow was also thinking…
He had been playing card games for many years, and he had indeed seen some players… who would stubbornly put a card that they particularly liked into their deck, and even conceive of a deck with that card as the core; even though… that card itself didn’t even have an effect.
White Dragon, Black Magician… In Snow’s opinion, those old cards that require double sacrifices to be normally summoned, but may not be able to beat some monsters whose summoning cost is lower later; those cards that can barely have some effect by relying on a bunch of combo cards; those cards that are not really strong except for their symbolic meaning… are not worth investing effort in developing at all, let alone “investing emotions.”
Directly choosing stronger cards and forming strong, mainstream decks and routines is the way to win. Because the win rate is the thing that doesn’t lie, and it’s the embodiment of strength.
And Feng Bujue… obviously didn’t think so.
While Brother Jue was speaking, he glanced at the deck on his duel disk, “Card games where everyone uses ‘correct tactics’ and ‘mature routines’ are truly ‘luck-based’ games; because everyone’s thinking is the same, and the routines are also well-known, the win or loss depends on the restraint between the decks, and secondly it depends on the card luck… just like you said, the outcome is already 70% decided before the fight…”
Speaking of this, he couldn’t help but sneer, “Hmph… that kind of game really can’t be called a ‘duel’; and those who use the same old decks and routines, adhere to solidified thinking, have no faith, and are complacent about things like ‘win rate’… are not worthy of being called ‘duelists.’”
Snow was hit by several shots and was quite depressed. Fortunately, he had never considered himself a “duelist,” so he wasn’t angry. “Okay… I admit you have faith. Although I don’t understand your ‘duelist’ spirit, I respect your ideas… However, I still have to ask—if your so-called duelist spirit is that kind of gambling-like, nine-losses-out-of-ten tactic, then what’s the point? Using faith as a fig leaf while failing?”
“Who said I’m gambling?” Feng Bujue asked in return, and then continued, “A duelist’s will doesn’t mean blindly attacking without thinking or calculating… on the contrary, my tactics are 100% capable of completing a one_turn_kiLL, it's the ultimate tactic."
“Hmph…” Snow was still a little unconvinced. He still believed that his solution was better and more stable, “You won now, of course you dare to say that.”
“I haven’t finished explaining just now,” Feng Bujue picked up on the previous topic and continued, “You thought… I activated ‘Millennium Scales’ because I was worried about being discarded by the effect of [Curse of Resentment], or simply wanted to replenish 1000 LP?”
“Isn’t that so?” Snow responded.
“The real reason I gave up drawing cards at that time was…” Feng Bujue directly stated the answer, “If I had drawn a card at that time… there was a certain chance that I would have drawn [Terror Clown].”
When these words entered his ears, Snow felt as if he had been struck by enlightenment, his mind buzzed, and his expression changed drastically.
“It looks like you understand,” Feng Bujue said.
“You… at that time…” Snow stammered, “...you had already thought of…”
“No, I had already thought of all the subsequent steps when I activated [Magic Melee],” Feng Bujue interrupted, “However, before entering my turn, there were still a few unknowns… and that was your face-down cards.” He paused for a second and continued, “In case there was a card in your face-down cards that ‘immediately destroys the monster the opponent summons,’ then you could send it back to the graveyard again in your ‘end phase’ before the effect of [Nameless King] was restored.”
“Unfortunately… you didn’t.
“When entering my turn’s draw phase, all the effects of [Nameless King] were restored; after seeing your cards with ‘Millennium Eye,’ I knew… you were already dead.
“Every subsequent step was within my calculations.
“Giving up drawing cards in the draw phase ensures that [Terror Clown] remains in my deck. This allows me to activate the chain effect of ‘Millennium Key’ and ‘Millennium Necklace’ in the second phase and draw it out, in order to cooperate with Tamamo-no-Mae's death effect to deal 1000 LP damage to you.
“And the reason why I used Tamamo-no-Mae to take down [Nodera Bo] in the battle phase was to obtain her death effect. If I followed what you said, used [Sakamoto-kun] to attack [Nodera Bo], and used Tamamo-no-Mae to attack [Corpse Monster], then yes… at the end of my turn, there would indeed be an extra god standing on my field; however, the death effect of this god would not be triggered, and in the end… I would be short 500 LP damage, allowing you to live to the next turn.
“As for your tactics… I said before, in the final analysis, it’s based on the ‘assumption’ that ‘I can draw a normal summoned monster of four stars or less’… so, it’s still the same question… what if I don’t draw it?”
Another silence descended. This time, Snow had nothing to say.
After a long while, this “organizer” stood up again and sighed, “Haa… I really lost to you.” He shook his head and spread his hands, “Is this the ‘true duelist’… it seems… quite handsome.”
“No.” Unexpectedly, after being praised by the other party, Feng Bujue denied it, “If you lose, then all that’s left is chuuni and shame; you have to know… my posture, lines, spirit, and skills are all honed through a lot of hard work, so it’s recommended that non-professionals don’t imitate them easily, so as not to humiliate themselves.”
“Hehe…” Snow smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll take it slow.” Hearing what he said, it seemed that he really planned to embark on the path of a duelist. “You can also come to [Crazy Thinking] to play a few rounds when you have time. I think this game is quite interesting. But… if we ‘duel’ again next time, let’s not gamble anymore, let’s just have fun.”
“Hey~ hey… are you misunderstanding something?” Feng Bujue said, “I don’t plan to have a good relationship with someone like you. Besides… I’m not as free as someone like you who owns N amount of property, I have a job.”
His words were a bit of a stretch. In 2055, when nerve-linked games had already become popular… as long as you had time to sleep, you had time to game.
“Haha… don’t be so distant, Mr. Crow.” Snow smiled and changed his address to him, “We still have a lot in common…” Speaking of this, he seemed to suddenly remember something and changed the subject, “Oh, right, I’m also a member of ‘Gambling Emperor’s Villa.’”
“What villa or whatever, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The moment Feng Bujue heard the word ‘also,’ he had an ominous premonition in his heart, and when he heard the three words ‘Gambling Emperor’s Villa,’ he put on a poker face and started playing dumb.
“Okay, stop pretending.” Snow smiled when he saw this, “On the Yage, because of the limited time, my subordinates only found the information about ‘Jiang Daode’ on the surface, so they couldn’t figure out the situation; but later… I used some connections in the ‘underworld,’ and the ins and outs of the matter have been investigated.”
“Tch… I knew that you probably also had membership qualifications.” Feng Bujue saw that the paper couldn’t contain the fire, so he admitted it, “However… the members of Gambling Emperor’s Villa have never been the kind of relationship that can make friends, right?”
“Hey~ there’s no rule that says there can’t be private relations, right?” Snow replied, “Brother Feng…” As he spoke, he changed his address to Brother Jue, “Even if you don’t become my consultant, you can occasionally come and make a cameo as a ‘partner,’ right? Let me tell you… a while ago, a fat man surnamed Jin said he wanted to bet tens of thousands of laborers with me for a batch of advanced military equipment and equipment. When I thought about it… after all, people have millions of troops under their command, and I was afraid that Gambling Emperor’s Villa couldn’t handle it, so I didn’t dare to go at the time… but if you’re willing to go with me, with our strength…”
“Stop! Thank you!” Feng Bujue didn’t let the other party finish speaking, mainly because the part that Snow was currently saying was already outrageous, “I haven’t finished stopping you, have I? If you really want to find that so-and-so, you can go by yourself, or you can send a message inside the Gambling Emperor’s Villa—‘Team up, gather in front of the spring in North Korea and go straight to the end,’ anyway, I won’t go.” He quickly brought the topic back to the right track, “Enough idle talk, I’ve already won now, ‘that thing’… when are you going to give it to me, and in what form?”