Chapter 826 ❤️ Request for Moon Tickets ❤️ Dark Demon Support Group 4k
“Dark, Dark, something bad has happened! Your ranking has dropped to sixteenth place!”
That day, spring was warm and flowers were blooming, and there were birds flying over the grass. The research on the creation of 【Demon King Number Two】 had made new progress, putting Dark in a good mood.
But as soon as he stepped into the public rest room of the Noble Academy, he encountered Tudor running towards him, and his face visibly drooped.
“Alright, alright, I know.” Raising his hand to wave, Dark Demon briefly dismissed Tudor and headed upstairs to the dormitory.
Tudor looked surprised and quickly followed him, exclaiming again, “Dark, your ranking has dropped to sixteenth place!”
Dark rolled his eyes and said, “So I understand.”
Tudor exclaimed, “Sixteenth place, and next will be seventeenth! You’ll lose your qualification for the main event!”
Dark couldn’t help but sigh and said, “Tudor, what day of the week is it?”
Tudor was puzzled, “It’s Monday, why?”
Dark sighed helplessly, “Since it’s Monday, can we wait until Friday to discuss this?”
But Tudor’s eyes lit up and he said, “I knew you wouldn’t give up.”
Dark asked curiously, “Why would I give up?”
Tudor looked around mysteriously and said, “Last weekend, even though everyone else added extra matches, you only participated in one. So some people say you’re holding back…”
“Uh…” Dark sighed, “I didn’t really pay much attention to the schedule of the point matches. Who knew they would all burst out in March?”
Tudor asked, “What about this week?”
Dark replied, “I just came back from the Dueling Club.”
Tudor’s eyes brightened and he smiled, “Then I’m relieved. Keep going! I’ll gather all the second-year students from the Noble Academy to cheer you on!”
Dark hurriedly said, “No, no, go about your business. This Saturday is the precious White情人节. Speaking of which, aren’t you looking forward to the return gift for Valentine’s Day in February?”
“Return gift?” Tudor’s eyes flickered with panic, “Return gift? Why should I look forward to it? I didn’t send anything…”
“Mm-hmm,” Dark said gently, “I’ll head up now. You should also keep going.”
“Uh-huh,” Tudor slowly stopped and stood still on the stairs.
Meanwhile, Dark Demon successfully shook off Tudor and gradually quickened his pace, returning to the dormitory.
He wasn’t being dismissive of Tudor; in fact, he had just returned from the Dueling Club and had requested additional matches.
There were too many competitors in this world. If you didn’t compete, you fell behind, and falling behind meant getting beaten. To avoid getting beaten, you had to compete together.
Ultimately, this led to a situation where the first to compete spurred others to follow, leading to widespread competition.
However, the so-called “additional matches” for the 【Golden Cup】 had their limits.
Generally, the match schedule ran from Friday afternoon to Sunday night, with only a few venues available for the 【Golden Cup】 point matches. Therefore, the number of matches each week was limited, and it was impossible for one person to have ten matches while another had only one.
For fairness, those who voluntarily requested “additional matches” were limited to the same number of matches per week, adjusted dynamically based on the number of participants that week.
Thus, some players who were uninterested in competing for the 【Golden Cup】 championship chose to “pause” or reduce their matches, making more time and space available for needed players.
Every March, the 【Golden Cup】 point matches became exceptionally exciting, with high-profile players appearing frequently. The enthusiasm of the students watching the matches also increased, from the beginning until the end of March when the main event slots were decided, April when the champions were determined, and May when the 【Academy Cup】 began, making it a packed and thrilling season.
High-profile star players often gained fame during these three months, becoming big stars in the Dueling Arena.
In March this year, Dark missed the early part, but there were still three weekends left. These weekends were crucial for the final outcome.
The later it got, the more opportunities there were for “additional matches.”
Players who had no hope of reversing their rankings would gradually drop out, leaving more opportunities for those with a chance.
Overall, the intensity of competition between the 【Golden Cup】 and 【Silver Cup】 was clearly different.
Aside from the different levels of honor they sought, the rewards for the 【Golden Cup】 champion were far greater than those for the 【Silver Cup】.
As long as one reached the top sixteen, even if they only lasted one round, they could still receive substantial rewards.
Of course, some players simply loved dueling and enjoyed the intense battles.
…
On the evening of March 10th,
Dark Demon used the 【Mana Dropper】 to complete his last 【Capital Sin】 draw of the month.
Over the past ten days, he had conducted six 【Greed】 thefts to curb its rise, while he only drew three times for 【Pride】, reserving the last one for 【Bliss】.
Under these circumstances, 【Greed】 reserves had grown to 40 points, and 【Pride】 had accumulated to 17 points. Reaching 30 points was halfway done, which was acceptable.
After all, he had been busy with the research on 【Demon King Number Two】, and his progress on 【Pride Magic Pattern】 was not ideal.
“Hmm?”
After completing the last draw, Dark was about to put down the drained 【Mana Dropper】 when he suddenly froze, and a faint sound echoed in his mind.
He hesitantly looked at the 【Mana Dropper】 in his hand, focusing on the 【Brain】. The 【Mana Dropper】 resembled an ordinary pipette, except its cap was replaced by a 【Brain】 that looked like a naked brain, which initially might make someone feel uneasy.
It was not a completely lifeless object but a special creature with an intelligence level of only 0.1, akin to a paramecium.
Therefore, the 【Mana Dropper】 had a lifespan, with a normal maximum of 10 years.
Dark’s 【Mana Dropper】 had been alive for eight years and six months when he bought it and had lived for one year and five months, reaching nine years and eleven months. It would reach its full lifespan of ten years in one more month.
Earlier, Dark had noticed this and considered replacing it, but he found that the health condition of the 【Mana Dropper】 was surprisingly improving, defying its age.
Thus, he considered researching the 【Brain Fluid Demon】 to upgrade it, but he hadn’t had the time to do so.
Unexpectedly, by leaving it alone, it had changed!
And Dark could clearly sense a subtle yet definite connection between him and the 【Mana Dropper】—similar to the 【Bond】 between a 【Golem】 and its controller.
Perhaps the transformation of the 【Mana Dropper】 after being influenced by the 【Capital Sin】 had reached a new stage, or maybe because Dark’s 【Flame of the Mind】 had ignited, leading to this result.
Through this subtle connection, he could sense a hint of thought from the 【Mana Dropper】, like a newborn child filled with curiosity about the new world—despite it being a decade-old old-timer!
This indicated that the 【Mana Dropper】 had indeed awakened a bit of intellect.
If this continued, this intellect would surely grow until it developed complete cognitive abilities, known as 【Enlightenment】.
However, this wasn’t entirely beneficial for the functionality of the 【Mana Dropper】.
Once the 【Mana Dropper】 had thoughts, the substances it extracted could be contaminated by its own thoughts, effectively losing its basic function.
“Why think too much? Just buy a new one when the time comes.”
Dark casually said, then playfully teased the 【Mana Dropper】.
“Ying!”
The 【Mana Dropper】 suddenly opened its mouth and bit his fingertip, warm and wet.
…
Time flew by quickly, as swift as a white horse passing through a gap.
It seemed like he just opened his eyes, and it was already March 13th, Friday.
The 【Golden Cup】 point matches for this week finally began under the pink atmosphere of the upcoming White情人节.
All the participants preparing to challenge for the main event were eager and ready.
The notice board outside the castle posted the schedule for the next three days.
The Saint Maryann Dueling Branches across various locations had already widely announced it.
This was a three-month event, a carnival for duel enthusiasts. Those who viewed Saint Maryann Academy’s dueling as the only “orthodox” form of dueling would actively participate through viewing, cheering, consuming, and betting.
Within the academy, students from various grades and departments gathered around the notice board, discussing the week’s schedule.
“Again, no luck!”
Someone squeezed into the crowd and suddenly let out a long sigh.
When others asked why he was sighing, he abruptly closed his mouth and walked away shaking his head.
After he left, someone whispered, “That’s the vice president of the 【Silver Dragon Maiden】 support group… They say now, all members are hoping for a match between the 【Silver Dragon Maiden】 and the second-year student Demon. Then they want to beat him up!”
“Oh? Why? I quite like that Demon.” Someone was puzzled.
The whisperer murmured, “They say Demon wants to monopolize his idol.”
Everyone: “Ah?”
“Move, move, move!” Amidst the astonishment, someone pushed into the crowd, angrily saying, “Who’s speaking ill of our Little Dark?”
…
At this moment, Dark Demon was checking the schedule in his dormitory.
This weekend, due to the increase in the number of “additional matches,” he only had three matches allocated.
But that was only the regular matches. In reality, having defeated two sixth-year students, he was still considered a target, receiving numerous challenge requests this week.
According to the rules, he selected two out of them.
This way, he had two more matches than regular contestants.
If he won all five matches, his ranking could climb several positions from sixteenth, possibly even back into the top ten.
Therefore, every one of these five matches was very important to him.
While thinking, Dark examined his opponents.
In the third-to-last week of the 【Golden Cup】 point matches, among the regular matches, there were still a few who lacked competitiveness, but those challenging him were determined to knock him down, indicating they were strong opponents, possibly even the strongest he had faced so far.
He did not concentrate these events on one day but distributed them appropriately over two days.
On Friday afternoon, there would be one regular match and one challenge.
On Saturday, there would be two regular matches and one challenge.
“The opponent for the first match… Mike Owen!”
…
Mike Owen, now a fourth-year student, is the personal assistant of the president of the Noble History Research Society and a rising star currently receiving much attention.
Dark had once had an unofficial duel with him on Valentine’s Day when it snowed last year.
At the Easter Duel Festival, they had another relatively formal duel.
Back then, Mike Owen’s 【Liquid Armor】 left a deep impression on Dark.
Overall, Mike Owen was a formidable opponent.
Dark had always had a good impression of him, someone he would greet if they met on the street.
Encountering Mike Owen in his first match this weekend was a small twist of fate.
“In the previous two encounters, Senior Owen likely held back. This time, he probably won’t hold back anymore, right?”
Dark carefully recalled the magic cards Mike Owen had previously displayed, finding it impossible to confirm his deck style solely from memory.
Mike Owen’s range was broad, with no fixed patterns.
Now, a year later, having moved from third year to fourth year, his deck must have undergone significant changes.
“In any case, I can’t relax. I need to secure every possible point.”
Dark introspected slightly and prepared to refine his deck construction further.
But as soon as he opened the deck box, someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
Dark got up and opened the door.
To his surprise, standing in front of him were the second-year students from the Noble Academy, led by Tudor.
Dark felt curious and asked, “What’s wrong, Tudor?”
Tudor rubbed his hands and said, “Well, today’s match is quite important, so we want to have lunch with you to boost morale.”
After hearing this, Dark took a moment to respond, laughing and crying at the same time, “Boost morale? Before a match, the player needs peace and quiet.”
Tudor chuckled and suddenly said, “You misunderstood. We need to boost our morale!”
“Yes, yes!” The boys behind him echoed.
Dark reluctantly said, “Alright, give me two minutes.”
He turned around to change into his outerwear and went to the cafeteria with Tudor and the others.
As soon as he arrived at the cafeteria, he realized he had been tricked!
……………
……………
[Hmm, it’s the end of the month, and moon tickets will expire if not enough are collected. Brothers, please use your little fingers to cast a free moon ticket.
[Today’s new moon tickets exceeded a thousand. I’ll update a larger chapter before twelve o’clock. Morning updates won’t be delayed.]
Fixing the formatting bug with additional text (free).
Emma: Your throne stands on golden soil.
Sarah: Look forward to drinking with the ancient gods above the River Styx.
Tudor: Time will heal all wounds.
Rose: Above the stars, your destiny awaits.
Diana: Your name will be carved on the monument of heroes.
Robert: Your life, like a chess piece, shatters with the game.
Wit: History repeats itself, and the cycle never ends.
Eudora: Your eyes contain stardust, and darkness blesses you.
Dark: No need to hesitate, no need to doubt, embrace the stars, and embrace everything.
