I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Without wasting a second, Carl drew a card. His hand cut through the wind as he slammed his first monster.

"I summoned the lava turtle!"

The plain cracked, letting an orange glow devouring the shadows filter.

The temperature increased as bubbling sounds reverberated, captivating the gasping audience.

An obsidian-shelled turtle emerged from the magma the next moment, the hot liquid dripping from its reinforced limbs.

Its mouth, as sharp as a beak, glistened as it released an ear-splitting shriek, asserting dominance over the field with its two-meter frame.

"I cast a field spell next."

After a short incantation, the lush plain rumbled. A pool of steaming magma replaced its center, filling the air with the stench of sulfur.

Without waiting, the turtle rushed inside, bathing in the lethal liquid as if mere water.

"When the lava turtle bathes in its element, it becomes immune to any attack!"

Carl roared in laughter, waving his fingers and smirking in provocation.

Instead of narrowing his eyes, frowning, or feeling annoyed, Adam stifled his own laughter.

"What irony. Bah! Luck has to turn I guess."

He noticed how Carl's smirk froze on his face, clearly shaken by his confidence despite the unkillable monster. Therefore, he continued, a strange satisfaction blossoming at the thought of toning the boy's arrogance down.

"Pontianak's effect: Any monster summoned when she stands on the field must attack her."

Unable to keep it in anymore, he let his chuckles slip, enlivening his side of the field.

As Carl's heart sank, the turtle reluctantly left the pool. Its burning feet left deep scorched gouges in the earth in a try to stop its movements.

Unfortunately, the Pontianak's sent overwhelmed the sulfur in the air, forcing it to continue.

The crowd watched, eyes widening with each second crawling by as the supposed invincible monster sent itself to death with its own two feet.

"Stop! Return to the lava!"

Carl tried to command his monster in vain.

The next second, he assisted at a gruesome spectacle in which the Pontianak kicked the turtle on its back. Then, her sharp nails glinted death as she plunged them into its stomach.

A despair-filled shriek echoed next as she rummaged through its inside for a second, trying to get its guts out. Yet, the turtle exploded into a rain of sparks before she could, making her enchanting face turn somber.
Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire

Everyone gasped in terror, wondering why Adam's every monster was more threatening than the last.

Unlike the youths, Shepard smirked at Zeph.

"I hope your student has another strategy, or you might as well forfeit and give me the materials already."

Without answering, Zeph shoved the two cores into his hands, his lips curling into an ugly grimace.

"What rotten luck. If not for the Pontianak's effect..." He muttered, a bitter taste invading his mouth as Maya patted his head.

"Don't worry, Zephy. I'm sure you'll win the next bet."

Unaware of the arcanists' playful interaction, Adam drew his next card.

"Doppelgänger, come out!"

A billowing ball of swirling negative energy responded to his call, condensing from the lava's steam. It swirled, reshaping itself into a second Pontianak in the blink of an eye and eliciting another wave of heated reaction from the crowd.

He facepalmed, feeling his soul heat up as he heard Arun's yell.

"Summon a third! Come on, don't cover them!"

"I'll really burst your eyes if you don't close them!"

Asha's outraged voice resounded next, forcing him to cough in embarrassment.

"I'll use another boosting spell... just to cover her."

He grumbled the chant, feeling wronged after using two of his three actions because she appeared on the field naked.

After dancing sparks of violet lightning engulfed her forms, he sighed and gave his command.

"Besiege his first and second castle. I end my turn."

Glancing at Carl, he noticed his gritted teeth, fingers clenched around his cards, and constricted pupils.

Clearly, his deck relied on making his monsters unkillable, allowing him to stack them. All to summon a tier-four one, maybe even several.

Yet, with two Pontianaks on the field, he shredded his strategy into confetti.

'Well, who asked him to provoke me?'

Eyes twinkling with gloating, he waited for the boy to make up his mind. At this point, he only had two options: forfeit or watch his castles crumble in a sea of gravel, one after another.

Soon, he heard Carl's answer, and he didn't like it at all.

"You are a cheater! Ghosts are as rare as demons and dragonlings. No one can have that many in his deck, much less a student in his second year!"

Despite the accusations, he shrugged. No matter what others believed, his conscience was as clear and peaceful as a lake.

He also understood Carl's frustration after such a thorough defeat.

With a deep inhale to forget the boy's bad manners, his calm voice resounded.

"Ask your dean if I did. Before you have proof, do not accuse others wrongly, even if you are angry. You wouldn't want them to do the same to you, correct?"

As his reasonable words filled the arena, Julius' and Arun's eyes enlarged in disbelief.

"He is a fake! Where is the real Adam?!"

They yelled in unison, making Shepard chuckle on the balcony.

Meanwhile, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, glinting the promise of terror.

"Wait till the qualification's end. I'll cut from my learning time just to train you two. I'm sure you're grateful for my kind intentions."

A cold knot of dread formed in their guts instantly.

"Arun, run! He's the real one, and he is serious!"

"Crap! We're in trouble."

The two boys scrambled away, making the crowd explode into boisterous laughter.

After a moment, he sighed and met Carl's trembling eyes.

"I'll explain it once for everyone. I hunted these evil ghosts in a neutral canyon between the Aurora and Belloria kingdoms."

Then, his voice took a much darker tone.

"Ask around. I'm sure the royals remember how they lost entire royal mage battalions after my passage."

Aurora's voice resounded right after, even colder than his.

"I already asked. He speaks the truth."

Then, as Carl voiced his surrender, she turned to Shepard, her lips raised and fists clenched.

"Why did you suffocate all the mages instead of using sleeping gas?"