Season 0: Theme Keycard #1 C13: Pyromania (1) (Edit #2)

Alternate Title: A Shadowy Duel
A/N: I forgot to add Lenix's Status Page.
A/N#2: I cleaned up the Status Page for clarity and added Hand of Nephthys' Ability.

The crowd cheered as Lenix secured another win, but he felt no joy as he looked at the miniscule amount of XP he had gained from the Duel. 'Not enough.'

"Existence's a Game, and we're the Players, Lenix.“

His thoughts were interrupted by a firm slap on the shoulder. Handing him a bottle of water, Sachi grinned. “Refreshment?“

“Thanks.“

He accepted it, twisted off the cap, and took a long gulp, before unceremoniously robbing his opponent's Deck and taking the only card he found useful: Pot of Greed.

"N-No, please! I saved up for years to buy that card!" Begged his opponent.

"You knew the risk when you challenged me," Lenix said, utterly indifferent to the man's plight as he added the Pot of Greed to his collection, and coldly told the weeping man, "Stop crying and get off the stage."

Gazing at the scene, hands tucked behind her back, Sachiko poked at his ribs. "Wow, that's harsh, Lenix.“

"Harsh?" He snorted, looking at the crowd below. Some fans liked his new attitude, but just as many, if not more, had turned away, no longer supporting him due to his aggressive playstyle. Not that it mattered to him anymore. Not after that particular talk.

“I've gazed into its inner-workings, and here I am now, all the better for it!“

"Next!" To Lenix's surprise, none—not one Duelist dared to step forward, exchanging nervous glances and retreating from the stage as though he were contagious. "Tsk... A bunch of useless cowards." Lenix hadn't lowered his voice at all, but even such an insult failed to rile up the crowd which, while disappointing, was unsurprising nonetheless.

He had defeated nearly all the regulars, and the newcomers were simply too intimidated to challenge an established name.

Frustrated, Lenix stormed out of the Dueling Café and onto the street, where the harsh, glaring Sun greeted him.

“Moral constraints; pesky human concepts—they no longer apply to me, Lenix! I. Am. Free. Free to see what these 'people' are!“

"Wait! Wait for me!"

Sachi panted, clutching his jacket like a child hanging onto her dad. "What's with you recently, Lenix?"

When Lenix first arrived on the scene, he would wait a Turn or two before ending a Duel, giving his opponents a chance to showcase their best cards. His trash talk was playful then, unlike the harsh insults he now used, and he'd at least try to avoid taking someone's prized card.

But something in him had fundamentally changed since.

“You can be free too! Let me to show you.“

Lenix tried to conceal it, but even he couldn't ignore the disgust in his eyes each time he faced the mirror.

The darndest thing was he couldn't remember what he was shown.

His memory went blank the moment he locked eyes with the Necromancer.

What he did recall were the sheer terror of having the underlying Codes of this Reality forced onto him, and nothing more.

Skullie clearly hadn't heard the pharse: Some things were better left untouched.

"Lenix Owens!"

The sudden shout made him wince as a jolt of pain coursed through his throbbing head.

Underworld Recruiter

DARK

Level 1

[Human/Normal]

Flavor Text: A recruiter for the local Underground Dueling Ring with next to no redeeming qualities. Devoid of honor, he's a snake who will seize every opportunity to exploit Duelists for his own gain.

ATK: 35

DEF: 15

And just like that, all the man's details flooded Lenix's vision.

“And his companion.“ Slowing to a stop, the Underworld Recruiter grinned at them, hands folded neatly in front of him. “I am—”

"A Recruiter for the Underground Dueling Ring that installs shock devices on their Duelists which activate when their LP drops. I know."

He, and probably everyone who had ever enjoyed the Gamer genre, had underestimated how… Damaging it was to the pysche to see every person quantified in numbers; the toll it took on the mind.

"I—Well, yes. How did you—?"

Lenix's expression twisted as the Reality around him flickered, revealing countless streams of Codes cascading down every person and object. Then, in an instant, it all vanished, like a seamless filter being reapplied to Reality.

Groaning, he glared at the man in front of him, who raised his arms in surrender, sweat dripping down his face. "Hey, man, if you don't want to, I'm not gonna force you.“

"You want to recruit me?"

"Well, of course. You're a skilled Duelist. If you perform well, I can get a cut of the winnings as well."

"I'm in.“ Staring at the man for a good minute with a deranged expression that rather resembled Skullie's, Lenix gestured. “When does it start?"

"Lenix, what the hell?!" Sachi shouted, visibly shaken. "You can't be serious! We should call the poli—"

Her words stopped dead when a knife appeared at her throat. "We're connected with many influential people. We wouldn't have lasted this long otherwise. If this gets out to the public, my associates will know it's you, and you'll not like it, Fujita-san."

Before things could escalate, Lenix grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it until he collapsed to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Behind him, Mimic briefly flickered, lending the Duel Disk and subsequently him its power. Though weak for a Spirit, it was still dozens of times stronger and faster than any average human, whose evaluation usually stopped at a a mere Level 1. "Hands off, or you lose it, lowlife. And you,”

"Y-Yes?"

"Go home. Do not speak of this to anyone. And no buts."

"He's saying it for your own good, you know? My associates won't be as kind or understanding as I've been."

Sachi hesitated, her eyes darting between Lenix and the man on the floor.

With a reluctant nod, she took a step back, and fled.

Lenix watched her for a moment, before turning his attention back to the man who's picking himself up.

"Not even an apology?"

"You speak as if you didn't just 'kill with a borrowed knife,' Mr. Owens!" The Recruiter smirked as he brushed the dust off his suit. "Given your strength and speed, you could have slit my throat before I even touched her. Fret not, Ms. Fujita shall remain safe from harm, so long as she kept her mouth shut."

Lenix narrowed his eyes at the accusation but didn't deny it. He couldn't. "She better… What took you lot so long?“

"Apologies for the delay, Mr. Owens. When a distinguished Duelist like yourself reaches out to us, we naturally have to exercise caution. But, I'm gladdened to say after observing you over the week, my associates have deemed you safe for contact. How'd you feel about earning even more money and participating in Duels with real stakes for a change?"

"I wouldn't have reached out if I weren't interested. Lead the way."

“A whole month, and you have only reached Level 5? That's just pathetic. But there's a way to improve this, you know—a way to get you in shape faster. I'd spell it out for you, but…"

He had tried to ignore it for the most part, but Skullie was right. He had spent an entire month, and for what? To remain a lowly Level 5 who could barely put up a fight? Even Akane's stronger than him, and that realization gnawed at his pride every time he closed his eyes.

To reach Level 6, he needed a total of 36,000 XP.

And the requirements would only grow as he leveled up further.

Lenix had crunched the numbers and realized that the XP required to reach Level 10 was in the hundreds of millions.

Based on the EXP he typically earned from regular Duels, it would take him hundreds of thousands of Duels to get there. He'd die of old age before reaching Level 10 unless he found a shortcut.

"I suspect you already know what it is, don't you, Lenix?"

The Recruiter grinned from ear to ear, gesturing toward the van parked down the road. "Your first match has been arranged. Shall we?" Lenix glanced back at Sachi to ensure her safety, then nodded and followed the Recruiter to his van.

Getting into a stranger's white van, no question asked... How disappointed his first-grade teacher would be to see him now. "If you don't mind me asking, why did a kid with such a bright future reach out to us? Underground Duels are no joke. They're quite dangerous, I'd say. They could even get you killed—or worse."

"Worse than death?"

"Trust me, when you are suffering from extreme nerve damage, cardiovascular issues, and brain damage, death might seem like the preferable option. You do realize 40% of our former champions are now drinking liquid food through a straw, right?“

"Quit drilling, buddy. You already struck oil."

It was just a theory, but Shadow Duels should net him a higher XP count, but, unlike Skullie, Lenix didn't want to indsicriminately attack everyone like a rabid dog.

He needed to find those who had already forsaken their innocence, and where better to find them than the Duel Monsters' equivalent of a fighting ring?

Furthermore, it would seem far less suspicious if Underground Duelists were to suddenly fall ill or suffer life-altering damage, which Shadow Duels were known to cause.

Most would attribute their injuries after the Duel to the shock collar instead of Lenix.

"We'll see, Mr. Owens. We'll see."

Taking a turn into an abandoned storage area, the Recruiter exited and held the door open for Lenix, hand folded in front of his chest.

"Thanks."

"No need. This is how I treat all my guests."

"You mean you know how you treat walking moneybags?"

With pursed lips, the Recruiter shrugged and pried open a loose floorboard from the storage room.

Beneath it lay a secret tunnel, stretching down into what seemed like the depths of Hades; its narrow passages channeling gusts of wind that reeked of rot and mold and worse.

"Pardon my slowness, but I fail to see the difference."

“You're frank.“

"A little too frank at times, some have told me. But enough of that—please grab the torch over there, we'll need it."

Narrowing his eyes at the moldy wooden handle, Lenix couldn't help but ask, "You can't be serious…”

"Of course not, Mr. Owens. There should be flashlights in the box under it. Will you kindly grab them for me?"

Tossing one to the Recruiter and keeping the other for himself, Lenix slid down the trapdoor behind the shady underground mook.

"Whoever it is you've arranged, I hope they'll provide more of a challenge than the tools I've played against."

"Oh, I assure you—" Throwinf open another door, the Recruiter stepped aside to reveal what looked like, "A bar?"

"It leads to our establishment."

The bartender, occupied with cleaning a glass, didn't ask them anything, nor did they attempt to interact with him, silently moving toward a mirror at the far end of the bar.

"Shall we perform a Spell?"

"Nothing so complicated." Behind the mirror was another doorway, held together by an old yet perfectly functional mechanism. "Apologies for the hassle, but here we are, Mr. Owens.“

The place wasn't nearly as busy as he had expected, but it was still filled with vendors and Duelists passing by.

"Welcome to Erebus, or as many before you have affectionately named it, 'The Gutter.'"

"It's..." Lenix glanced around and chuckled as he made his assessment. "Nice."

And he wasn't just saying it to be polite.

For a place named 'The Gutter' by the locals, Erebus had an almost sterile environment.

"Oh, it's all appearances, I assure you—"

A loud scream interrupted their conversation as a man charged out of a store, collapsing in a heap as electricity coursed through his body. "See?"

"I thought you didn't deal in people?"

"I personally don't, but I can't speak for others."

"You little bastard! Do you know how expensive that vase was?!"

"I-I'm SORRY—ARGH!" Strangely, nobody seemed bothered by the scene, as if it were just another day at the market. "Stupid fool. You're gonna pay for that!"

"If he keeps it up, the guy's going to die."

"Most of the workers here are debtors who can't repay what they owe. They have no rights, not in this place.“ The Recruiter explained with a stiff, cautious smile, his imploring eyes fixed on Lenix.

"I-I can still work, please! Please don't!"

“I don't think so. You'll repay me in another way. I heard the Doctor's looking for experimental subjects… You'll fetch a hefty price there."

"No! No! Anything but that! Anything!"

"If you want to save him, there's still time.“

The Recruiter suggested with a smirk. “Challenge the owner to a Duel. He'll probably have his proxy Duel for him, but still... You came because you're bored of regular Duel Monsters, didn't you?"

Erebus' Slave #1

EARTH

Level 1

[Human/Normal]

[Flavor Text]

Flavor Text: Born in the depths of poverty, this gambler had dreamed of wealth and riches from a young age. Anything he could get his hands on, he'd sell for the next bid until his habits finally caught up to him.

ATK: 25

DEF: 10

He wasn't the only one labeled as 'Slave.' Nearly 30% of the people in the lobby had the same title on their 'cards.'

Truth be told, Lenix had little regard for the man, believing he was simply reaping what he had sown. Still, the proxies promised to earn Lenix a good amount of XP. The real dilemma, however, was what to do after he 'won' a slave he had no use or space for.

He had seen many gamblers in his time, fools who believed they could succeed where billions of humans throughout history had failed and beat the House. Chances were the moment he set the man free, he'd revert to his old habits and become a burden to soceity and his family, assuming he still had one in the first place.

"What happens if I lose?"

"That's up to you and him to decide. And fret not, all bets and transactions are enforced by Erebus. We might be crooks, but I trust you will find our laws and enforcers are a lot… Stricter than the gov's.“

After a minute of deliberation, Lenix thought, 'Might as well.' And called out, "Hey! Hey, you!"

“What?” The store owner snarled, his face twisting in annoyance. “Never seen someone discipline their slave before?”

“Not outside of a movie, no,”

Lenix replied calmly, his eyes fixed on the cowering figure behind the man. “I want to Duel for his freedom.”

The owner scoffed, a harsh laugh escaping his lips as he dismissively gestured at the slave. “You want to duel for this trash?”

“Did I stutter?”

“Heh… New are you? Still got a little 'heroism?' On behalf of your Advisor, I'll let you off this once. Beat it.“

“I want to duel for him,” Lenix repeated, stepping in front of the owner and blocking his view of the cowering slave.

Just days ago, he'd have turned the other way, better reward or not, but with it activated, the fear that had once consumed him was all gone, replaced by a cold detachment.

As a crowd began to form around them, two men in black stepped forward, dark shades hiding the disdain in their eyes as they roughly grabbed Lenix's shoulders. “Our establishment does not tolerate fighting.“

"I’m not looking to fight; I want to Duel. Isn’t that why Erebus was established?”

"Erebus..." Someone from the crowd mocked. “Fifty bucks says this fool's a newbie."

"Who would bet on a sure loss?"

"Some clueless suckers, maybe?"

“What are you betting?“

Lenix glanced at the anxious slave and smiled. "Myself. A life for a life. Sounds fair?“

"Just remember, you asked for it. Is there an open arena?"

"Arena #73 is currently available." The security member replied.

“Book it for me and this little shit. I'll use a proxy.“

"Do you wish to duel now or later?"

“”Now.“” Lenix and the store owner responded simultaneously.

"Well, I guess I'll get to see you in action pretty soon, Mr. Owens."

"You don’t seem worried." Lenix observed.

"If you lose, you were never worth my time and effort in the first place. If you win, this will be the best possible debut for you in the Gutter… Either way, I come out on top. I will see you in fifteen minutes, Mr. Owens.“

“This should only take ten.“

Unlike the clean and sterile outer packaging, the arenas inside were covered in ashes and splattered with dried blood from past victims. "—Duelist: Lenix Owens. Duelist: Nagisa Hikaru—you have a few minutes to prepare. Any and all questions you may have will be answered by the staff members."

It took roughly four minutes, maybe even less, for the audience to gather.

“—Betting is now open. Anyone wanting to place bets has five minutes to choose. And do keep in mind, once a bet is placed, it's final. If you want to increase your wager, you can place an additional bet. That is all.“

In the waiting room, Lenix paced as he ran through his Decks.

Insect was the one he felt most comfortable with, but it wasn't exactly powerful, even with Mimic included.

His Starter Deck's decent, but it relied heavily on Nephthys, and his Insect Bosses wouldn't fit into it.

He nearly had all the necessary cards to build that Grasschopper-Ojama OTK Deck.

Still, as confident as he was, Lenix wasn't about to bring an untested and incomplete deck into such an important duel.

“Beatdown it is.“

“—All Duelists get in position.“

Lenix was disappointed to find his stadium was just a bare, padded room that had come out of a 90's insane asylum.

Squirming against the nauseating glare of the overhead bulbs, Lenix greeted his opponent—a woman in her late twenties dressed in a kimono, and wearing a mask that covered half her face where gruesome, angry scars peeked near smooth, unmarred skin. "I hope you love pain, my boy, because I'm going to hurt you real bad."

Fire Maiden

Attribute: FIRE

Level 2

[Spellcaster/Effect]

Flavor Text: Once a woman of renowned beauty, she was consumed by a sudden fire that left her forever scarred, and now she seeks to inflict the same horror upon all who crosses her path.

ATK: 300

DEF: 150

Effect:

1. Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 FIRE monster with 1500 ATK or less from your hand or Deck.

2. While this card is on the field, each time your opponent's LP decreases, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

"Hmmm..." Truth be told, Lenix still couldn't quite grasp how these effects would translate into real life. What he was certain was that the second effect wouldn't impact his LP.

After all, someone would surely notice if her opponents kept randomly losing an extra 500 LP for no apparent reason. “I'm counting on it.“

“My… Charming.“

“—DeezNuts just said: HE GOT THE FIRE BITCH FIRST ROUND. LOLOLOLOL—”

"What the hell was that?“ Were they really streaming this?

“Ah, my fans! Adorable as ever~!“ The Fire Maiden 'moaned,' puckering her lips at the camera.

“My first Duel and I got this?“ Rather than disappointed, it'd be more appropriate to say Lenix was completely weirded out by her… Odd behaviors. He had seen many type of Duelists: The Flamboyant; the Showman; the Trashtalker and even met one 'I'm going on a 12 minutes monologue about friendship' once in the wild, wild East, but a 'female Hisoka' wasn't exactly who he had hoped to face.

“—To your right, you shall find the shock collars. These have all been thoroughly inspected before your duel. Please put them on so the Duel can begin; failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification.“

It felt strange to Lenix to even consider the collars.

Common sense had always dictated that he should never put them on himself, but the promise of XP had clouded his judgment.

Lenix snapped the devices into place, struggling to suppress the simmering rage that pounded in his chest at the sight of iron encircling his wrists. Fortunately, 'it' kicked in again, allowing him to regain his composure. “Shall we toss for it?“

“No need… You may go ahead, boyo.“

"You sure?" Goat Beatdown was considerably slower than the OTK Beatdowns that dominated modern Yu-Gi-Oh. Allowing Lenix to take the first turn meant he'd have the advantage to set up his board even faster.

"Aww... Worried about little old me? You're going to sweep me off my feet, Mimic."

“You know who I am?“

“Who doesn't? The boy-wonder! I can't believe I get to torture you today!“

"Shall we raise the stakes, then? You might not get another chance like this, you know?“

“How?“

Hesitating for a brief moment, Lenix steeled himself and asked. “Nagisa Hikaru, have you heard of Shadow Duel?“ The mere mention of the name conjured an unnatural gust that swept past both of them, despite there being no source for the breeze—no open windows, no fans, not even an air conditioner in sight. “Shadow Duel?“

“If you're afraid…”

“Who's afraid?!“

“Shall I take that as a 'Yes' then?“

“What do I have to fear, boyo?“

“Perfect.“

With the pact verbally sealed, a purple mist coiled around the duo, followed by a rancid scent that stung Lenix's nostrils.

Opposite to him, Nagisa's eyes widened in alarm at the strange sensation.

It wasn't cold, nor was it outwardly terrifying.

It didn't jolt them with the sharp fear of a jumpscare, but the Initiation of the Shadow Duel brought an invisble burden—a taint upon Reality that felt like it'd never fade…

“I'll start (1)—”

Lenix Owens: 4000 LP

Nagisa Hikaru: 4000 LP

“By Activating Gaia Power from my Hand. Next, I'll Summon my Goblin Attack Force in Attack Position—”

Goblin Attack Force

EARTH

Level 4

[Warrior/Effect]

ATK: 2300

DEF: 0

Neither he nor the Goblin Spirits particularly liked each other. He found the creatures abhorrent to the eyes, while they despised his Nephthys with a passion brighter than the Sacred Phoenix herself. Fortunately, they had managed to establish an uneasy truce of sorts.

The Goblin Spirits had promised to not sabotage his Hand, and in return, he promised to prevent Nephthys from bullying and beating them up as she had been for the last five days under his command.

The Goblins, of course, were unaware of his plan to soften them up; if they knew, Lenix suspected they wouldn't serve him even under the threat of death.

““Since Gaia Power's on the Field, my monster will gain an extra 500 ATK.“

ATK: 2300 » 2800

DEF: 0 » 0

“I'll Set two more cards,” Solemn Judgment and Sakuretsu Armor each. “And activate Pot of Greed from my Hand.“

"No explanation? How rude.“

"If you still don't know what Pot of Greed does, just retire. Duel Monsters isn't for you."

Lenix retorted, drawing two cards, face falling when he saw the Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror, whom he had forgotten to remove from the Deck.

The excitement he had felt pulling the SSR had long since faded, especially after he realized it'd require a dedicated Archfiend Deck for the so-called Emperor to be even remotely useful.

'Your gaze offends me, Mortal… I ought to pluck out your eyes and feed it to my soldiers.'

'And your effect offends me, but you didn't see me complaining.'

He had initially thought that Skill Drain would enable the Archfiend to be a decent, easy-to-Summon 3000 ATK Beatstick in a Skill Drain Aggro Deck, even without the support of its Archetype. But he was wrong—so, so wrong.

As it stood, the Lord of Horror could only remain on the Field for one meager Turn unless Tribute Summoned. This limitation meant he was only ever useful as a rather inefficient tool to eliminate monsters with 3000 ATK or less that the Goblins and the Dual-Mode Beast couldn't handle, and even then, there were just so many superior Boss monsters available.

Clicking his tongue, Lenix Set Final Attack Order, then passed to his clearly eager opponent.

“Impressive!“ The Fire Maiden complimented while eyeing the Goblins like a hawk. “But I thought you played Insect?“

"I still do..." Lenix shrugged.

"You changed your Deck... For me? Oh, you shouldn't have!" The insane woman giggled shyly before bursting into laughter. "Since you thought so highly of me, I can't disappoint… My Turn (2)! Your Field Spell, I want it gone!"

"Mystical Space Typhoon?" Lenix guessed.

"Even better," She whispered as the giant forest was decimated by bubbling lava and rising volcanoes. “I have my Field Spell too, you see!“

“Not so fast!“

Lenix didn't mind if she wasted a card to get rid of his Field Spell.

However, considering how Pyro-centric her Deck probably was, he couldn't allow her Field Spell to resolve. It would spell the end for him. “Solemn Judgment will Negate your Spell!“

There was a brief moment of silence as their gazes met, followed by pure mania as Lenix's Life Points suddenly halved. “Aw… I wanted to get First Blood!“

Lenix Owens: 4000 » 2000 LP

Electricity surged through Lenix in unrelenting waves, forcing him to his knees almost immediately, but the raw, physical agony was only half the battle.

The instant his LP dropped, Fire Maiden's secondary effect had kicked in, and it's as he'd suspected, it couldn't deduct his Life Points, but it did set off a searing sensation that was tempting him to tear his skin off.

[Semi-Gamer's Mind (MAX)]

The burning rage subsided quickly, leaving only a cold fury that simmered in his gut.

Lenix was hurt, and he's damned if he didn't at least try to pay it forward.

"Feels exhilarating, doesn't it? You did a good job stopping my Field Spell, but I'm afraid that's not enough! I Normal Summon The Thing In The Crater—"

The Level 4 Effect Monster stood tall despite its modest 1000 ATK, launching itself at Lenix's Goblins in a blur of motions. It took less than a second for the Goblins to completely decimate the 'Thing', who took with it to the Grave 1800 LP from its Owner.

Nagisa Hikaru: 4000 » 2200 LP

There was only one possible reason a Duelist would command their monster to make such an idiotic move. A reason Lenix's all too familiar with while playing the Insects.

Screams of pain erupted from the woman, but they didn't last long.

Within seconds, those wretched howls transformed into maniacal laughter.

"When The Thing in The Crater is sent to the Graveyard, it allows me to Special Summon one Pyro-monster from my hand!"

Cloaked in electricity, the Fire Maiden stumbled forth with a grin as wicked as the lowest dregs in Hell.

"I'll Summon my best card! Burn! Burn them all, my Hazy Flame Hyppogrif!“

—/—/——/——/—/—

Duelist Profile

Name: Lenix Owens

Title: The Mimic

Level: 6

XP: 1290/36,000

Duel Energy: 7750/19,200 (Regen: 32 Unit/Sec)

Bonded Spirits (Max. 5): Scared Phoenix of Nephthys (8.9%), Hand of Nephthys (13.2%), Mimicking Man-Eater Bug (19.6%), Grasschopper (9.1%)

Spirit Enhancement(s) / Skill(s): Destiny Draw (2/10), Spirit Vision (3/10), Pyromancy (2/10), Destiny Defied (1/10), Shadow Initiation (1/10), Chosen of Nephthys (MAX), Observe (MAX)

Third-Party Softwares: Semi-Gamer's Mind (MAX)

Duel Points: 29,516

Duel Record: 144 Total / 144 Win – 0 Loss – 0 Draw

Win Ratio: 100%