NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66: TST [66]
VROOOM—
With a burst of engine roar, Hannah drifted into the garage on her D-Wheel, nearly flattening Zelo, who was performing maintenance on his own vehicle.
Faced with the bike screeching to a halt inches from him, even the typically mild-mannered Zelo lost his cool.
"Hannah, can you not be so reckless? Hitting me would be one thing, but if you damage the D-Wheel the boss spent a fortune on, we're both dead."
Zelo straightened his two-meter-tall frame, wrench in hand.
He was part of the Shadow Duelists' temporary squad. His massive D-Wheel looked more like a tank than a bike. With that thing, he could end duels by ramming opponents instead of dueling them.
Regardless, Hannah ignored him, gracefully leaping off her bike.
"I'll be more careful next time. The D-Wheel's maintenance is in your hands."
Lately, she had been feeling uncharacteristically agitated. A blurry image kept surfacing in her mind, as if she had forgotten something important—but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall it.
The sensation had started after she began riding the D-Wheel. Had she used one before in a Riding Duel?
She shook her head. Still nothing.
Walking over to a counter, she grabbed a beer, took a swig, and asked:
"Zelo, where do you think the boss gets all this? D-Wheels this refined aren't easy to come by."
"How should I know? The boss must have his own sources."
Zelo was clearly annoyed. The wrench looked like chopsticks in his massive hand—incredibly frustrating.
"Then... have you ever seen the boss?"
Zelo paused, then shook his head. "Nope. Not just me, either. Most Shadow Duelists have only received orders. No one's actually seen him. Why are you asking?"
Hannah tossed aside the empty bottle and unzipped her suit, changing into a deep violet dress that added to her allure.
"No reason. Just trying to jog my memory."
"Still stressing over the amnesia thing? Forget it. No point digging through lost memories. Just follow the boss's orders. It's way easier."
"Easy for a musclehead like you."
"..."
'I try to comfort you, and this is what I get?'
After a pause, Zelo stood and said:
"You heard about Alban, right? Got fried to a crisp. Boss turned him into a sacrificial pawn. Seems that little girl is the real deal. Looks like we've got another prodigy among the Shadow Duelists."
Anyhow, Hannah was unfazed. She said coolly:
"Trash is trash, even if enhanced. I said from the start that the kid wasn't simple. If I had dueled her back then, she'd already be one of us."
Sensing her irritation, Zelo smiled and turned on the large monitor beside them.
"You can't duel her right now, but you can watch her matches. Study her Deck."
Footage of Morgan's duel with Dorian played on loop.
"Where's this from?" Hannah asked, surprised.
"Junior Division of the Duelist League. She's the biggest wildcard right now. Every club is after her."
Hearing that, Hannah laughed.
"Wherever she goes, she causes a stir. Makes everyone chase her like a siren. What a tempting little vixen."
Back when Morgan went undefeated in Virtual Duels and made Platinum, clubs had scrambled to find her. Just like now.
If they realized the girl they once hunted was the same one now lighting up the tournament...
Hannah licked her lips, intrigued.
Despite that, something puzzled her… why wasn't Morgan using her Virtual Duel Deck? That one burned LP much faster.
"Why not use that burn deck? This one's strong too, but..."
"Who knows? Maybe she figured this was enough to beat her opponents."
Hannah nodded. Those so-called club rookies were barely Gold rank. They couldn't touch Morgan.
At that moment, Zelo's terminal buzzed.
He glanced at it and grinned.
"Our next opponent is confirmed: Saint King Club. Once we crush them, Haisen Club is next. That'll kick off the boss's plan."
Hannah stared silently into her glass of liquor. The name "Haisen" stirred something familiar in her… but still, she couldn't remember.
Her gaze drifted to a nearby D-Wheel shaped like a serpentine beast.
She frowned. "Where's that old snake? The match is tomorrow. He'd better read the boss's briefing or he'll get punished for losing."
Zelo grinned. "He's probably out hunting."
"Leave him be. If he doesn't get that out of his system, he'll screw everything up."
Hannah snorted. "So brazen... he better watch out, or he might become the prey."
...
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