Rain pattered against the classroom windows of 3-C, a soft metronome marking the seconds before summer break. The hum of an old projector and the tapping of bored fingers filled the air as Mr. Hoshida droned on about something no one would remember in a week.
Thirty students sat scattered across the room, half-asleep, half-scrolling through lesson slides on digital pads. In the back corner, by the window, sat him—the quiet one.
He never really talked unless spoken to, and even then, it was usually a nod or a short sentence. Most people didn't know his name, and that was fine by him. He preferred it that way.
Instead of socializing, he spent his time thinking about card games—those glorious battles of strategy, luck, and power. His deck box never left his side, even if the game it belonged to had long gone out of print. He'd watch old duels online late into the night, marveling at the flashy summoning animations, the dramatic shouting, and the way monsters exploded into beams of light.
He always thought… Man, if that were real? That'd be amazing.
He should've been careful what he wished for.
A sudden crack split the air—not from the sky outside, but from within the room. The lights blinked out. Every screen glitched, flaring with static and then going dark.
Then came the voice.
> "THIRTY IDENTIFIED. LINKING... INITIATING RELOCATION PROTOCOL."
Some screamed. Others froze. But before anyone could move, a glowing circle erupted beneath each desk, golden runes spiraling outward in patterns too complex to read.
The classroom shimmered. And then—
it vanished.
---
He felt like he was falling… no, rising. His body didn't know which way was down. Shapes blurred past him: giant gears, constellations, rings of code orbiting titanic machines. Then, a snap. Reality returned like a slap to the face.
They were no longer in their classroom.
The thirty of them now stood in a vast, circular arena that floated above a city made of light and chrome. Roads of transparent glass crisscrossed between towers shaped like playing cards. The sky above shimmered with dozens of holographic dragons, titans, beasts, and machines circling like gods.
At the center of the arena stood a glowing figure cloaked in layered data—its face a flickering mask of unreadable code.
> "WELCOME, NEW ARRIVALS," it said, voice echoing through their minds.
"YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO COMPETE IN THE CARDSPHERE."
Murmurs rippled through the students. Confusion. Panic.
> "YOUR SKILL WILL DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE. SURVIVAL, FREEDOM, POWER—ALL ARE EARNED THROUGH CARDBORNE."
One student—a class rep—stepped forward. "What is this place? Who are you?!"
> "I AM THE SYSTEM. I AM THE GAME MASTER."
A flash. Thirty decks of digital cards materialized midair and floated toward their owners, stopping just inches from each student's chest.
Except one.
The quiet boy's deck didn't float.
It crashed into him like a meteor.
The force knocked him off his feet, and the cards scattered in a glowing ring around him. One card hovered above all the others, burning with a crimson light.
Draconyx the Endflame Tyrant.
It stared at him with slitted, sentient eyes from the artwork—like it knew him.
> "PLAYER ID: UNKNOWN... UNREGISTERED... CUSTOM CODE FOUND..."
The System paused.
> "...ERROR."
Then:
> "...SPECIAL ACCESS GRANTED."
---
He stood up slowly, eyes locked on the dragon card in front of him.
Something deep inside him stirred. A flicker of instinct, of thrill, of destiny.
He didn't know where they were or why they'd been taken. But as he reached out and grasped the card, he couldn't help but whisper:
"…This feels like one of those old duels."
He smirked, just a little.
---
End of Chapter 1
---