Chapter 25: Aniki!?

Hayato could understand why the [Achievements] tab had lit up, but the fact that the [Shop] was also glowing gave him an ominous feeling. In the depths of his mind, the mysterious smile of a certain proprietor from a famous gaming platform in his past life—a guy codenamed "Gabe Newell"—seemed to emerge. Whenever that man and his signature green box appeared, the money in Hayato’s wallet would always vanish without a trace.

Forcing himself not to click on the [Shop], Hayato entered the [Achievements] section. Just like last time, the area was filled with rows of gray card backs. The three achievements unlocked previously were placed at the top for easy viewing, and beyond those, Hayato had unlocked two more. Following his habit, he flipped them over to reveal:

[Achievement Unlocked: First Victory]
[Condition: Win a Duel Monsters game]

[Achievement Unlocked: Comeback!]
[Condition: Achieve a "Comeback Victory"]

Reward Summary:
500 DP x2
R-Rank Selection Ticket x1
[Damage Vaccine Ω MAX] x1

The rewards were decent. Including the 6,400 DP he already had, this duel against Shoji Manjoume had netted him a total of 7,400 points, plus a very practical R-Rank selection. Moreover, the card [Damage Vaccine Ω MAX] was quite good. Its effect allowed the user to recover life points equal to the damage taken from any source, effectively nullifying that instance of damage. It was essentially a hybrid of [Junk Kuriboh] and [Kuriboh]. However, the card had one drawback: the effect resolved after the damage was taken, meaning if one’s life points were reduced to zero, the card would fail to trigger.

Exiting the [Achievements] section, Hayato looked at the 9,900 DP displayed beneath his avatar in the top left corner. He felt flush with cash. With so much DP, what was the harm in spending a little?

***

Harboring such thoughts, Hayato couldn't resist and opened the [Shop]. As soon as he entered, a few large characters jumped out at him:

[To celebrate a duelist's first victory, the Beginner's Selection Booster Pack is available for a limited time! This is your only chance to purchase!]

As expected, his intuition had been right. In any game, if the [Shop] showed a red notification dot, it was never a good sign—a rule that still held true even after Hayato had transmigrated. The system had been eyeing his hard-earned balance and concocted this "Beginner's Selection Booster Pack."

Grumbling at the system, Hayato’s finger hovered over "View Later" before ultimately clicking on the "Proceed Immediately" button. The [Basic Card Pack] on the shop's home page vanished, replaced by nearly thirty different card boxes:

[Earth Attribute Booster], [Fire Attribute Booster], [Wind Attribute Booster]...
[Dragon Type Booster], [Warrior Type Booster], [Beast Type Booster]...
[Mixed Theme: Magic Swordsman], [Mixed Theme: Alien Exploration], [Mixed Theme: Deep Sea Race]...

From specific attributes and creature types to mixed support decks, the system showcased every way it could swindle him. Hayato was free to choose one of these boxes, and at a price cheaper than the usual 10,000 DP for 100 packs—9,900 DP.

That was exactly the amount of his current balance!

The quality of these packs matched their high price. For instance, the [Mixed Theme: Alien Exploration] box primarily featured the Reptile-type "Alien" series and the Machine-type "Big Core" series, guaranteeing one UR and at least three SR cards, with a chance to pull [Graydle] or [ABC] series cards not otherwise available in the [Shop]. The [Deep Sea Race] pack was a triple-threat of Fish, Water, and Sea Serpent types—the "Sea" theme. Buying it would allow him to roleplay as a certain fisherman who turned into a card, with a chance to pull [Mermail], [Ice Barrier], or [Gishki] series cards.

Hayato felt his indecisiveness flare up again, just as it had with the previous R-Rank selection—he wanted them all, couldn't bear to give any up, yet the system only allowed him to pick one. Even if he were allowed to buy them all, he could only afford one.

After hesitating for a long time, Hayato found a box tucked away in the corner with a name completely different from the others: [Special Custom: Deck Building Booster Pack].

He read the description and felt intrigued. Every other box had a clear theme, but this one deviated from the norm, stating only: "Provides random booster cards based on the deck currently in use."

Unlike the other packs with clear potential, this was a gamble. There was no way to know what he might get before buying it. Logically, knowing his luck wasn't exactly stellar, he shouldn't have chosen this one. But, as they say, "the less skilled you are, the more addicted you become." Unable to resist, Hayato bought it.

Watching his DP balance hit zero and the [Shop] return to its lonely display of the basic card pack, while a large box landed in his [Inventory] waiting to be opened, Hayato gritted his teeth. He had acted on impulse—he just prayed that it would contain something good!

***

By the time Honda returned from the back room with a puzzle, the duel between Yugi and Jonouchi had ended. Unsurprisingly, Yugi had emerged victorious. Honda began unpacking the puzzle in the shop, intending to ask his friends for help with what message to write on it. He looked up, wanting to speak, but caught sight of Hayato, who looked somewhat dazed.

"Is something wrong, Hayato?"

"Uh, it's nothing. I'm fine, really." Hayato offered a bitter smile, silently swearing to himself never again to believe he was lucky. His eyes glared fiercely at his own empty shoulders.

What Honda and the others couldn't see were three strange creatures perched on Hayato’s shoulders, chattering incessantly:

"Big Brother, you scared the life out of me during that duel!"
"Big Brother, Big Brother! That woman over there has huge boobs!"
"Big Brother, when are we eating?"
"Big Brother~"
"Big Brother!"
"Big Brother?"
...

Damn it, if this kept up, he was going to lose his mind.

Feeling as though the three creatures on his shoulders were brainwashing him with the constant "Big Brother," Hayato made an excuse about having urgent business and hurriedly ran out of the Kame Game Shop, looking for a quiet corner to be alone. He suddenly understood perfectly why Manjoume Thunder would evolve from a cold, arrogant antagonist into such a ridiculous character later on.

It absolutely, definitely had everything to do with the three guys appearing by his side!