A swirling nebula of stars burst into life on the examiner's field. The two summoned sharks leapt into the galactic whirlpool, triggering a surge of power from the starry depths.
In a flash of incandescent light, the nebula contracted—and from within emerged a warrior from a world unknown.
He carried a fuel tank strapped to his back and wielded a heavy skillet in one hand. Though dressed like a chef, there was nothing comical about him—he radiated the chill of a cold-blooded soldier.
On the towering white hat atop his head gleamed golden script in the celestial language:
59.
The moment this bizarre warrior appeared, gasps echoed across the arena.
Some of the more knowledgeable students immediately began to explain in alarmed voices:
"No way… he summoned Crooked Cook?!"
"Using that card as his opening play? How are we supposed to win?!"
"For those of you who don't know—here's the rundown: Crooked Cook's first effect makes him immune to all other card effects… as long as he's the only card on the field!"
"FULL effect immunity?! That's outrageous! Wait—why did he set it in defense position, though? Its DEF is only 200. Doesn't he know battle destruction is the most honorable way to clear a monster?"
"Oh, sweet summer child. Check again. Look at one of its materials—Right-Hand Shark. When used as material, it gives the Xyz monster immunity to battle destruction, too!"
"He read our read… and blocked it! He shut down every possible out!"
Gasps turned to stunned silence.
"Effect immunity and can't be destroyed by battle?!"
"Is this exam even winnable?!"
"Bro, my entire deck has no way to deal with that card. If I draw that setup, I'm toast!"
A cold sweat broke out on more than a few students' brows.
The examiner had summoned only one monster, yet it stood like a towering wall of despair. For many decks, it was a wall they'd never overcome.
They couldn't destroy it.
They couldn't bypass it.
They couldn't hurt the examiner at all.
If they couldn't break through within three turns, their test would auto-fail.
On the observation balcony, the Special Admissions students were already smirking at the sight.
Meanwhile, at a private viewing box above the arena, the Chief Professor of Sacred Star Duel Academy, Professor Lawrence, sat with arms folded, eyes sweeping the crowd.
He was the architect behind this year's practical exam—a staunch believer in elite education.
To him, only geniuses deserved to enroll.
He had prepared ten different challenge decks, one for each dueling platform, each designed to test a specific skill or mindset. The dreaded "Crooked Cook" build was just one of them.
Lawrence frowned as the auditorium filled with nervous whispers and complaints.
"Hmph. If they can't even pass this, they're not the elite we're looking for."
But on the field, there was one person whose expression hadn't changed at all.
Li Yuu.
Calm. Poised. Even smiling faintly.
The proctor, noting the lack of panic on Li Yuu's face, found himself puzzled.
"Why isn't he reacting? Does he not know what Crooked Cook does? Or…"
A thought struck him.
"...Or has he already figured out how to beat it? Is he actually planning… a first-turn kill?!"
But the man couldn't read any more from Li Yuu's expression.
All he could do was suppress his doubts and continue as normal.
"My turn ends," he said evenly.
Li Yuu smiled and placed a hand on his deck.
"My turn. Draw."
He glanced at the card he drew—and his smile widened.
"Well then," he said softly. "This test is already over."
The examiner blinked. "What did you just say?"
Li Yuu raised a card with a flourish, eyes gleaming.
"I said—this duel is already over."
"And I only need one monster."
The arena erupted in chaos.
"One monster?!"
"What the hell is he talking about?"
"Is there a card that wins you the duel just by summoning it?!"
Even the teachers watching frowned in confusion. Only the other examinees still mid-duel weren't paying attention.
Everyone else was now laser-focused on Li Yuu.
On the arena's massive holo-screen, the image zoomed in, giving the audience a crisp close-up.
The moment Li Yuu made that declaration, the broadcast team instantly prioritized his feed.
They knew—this was the moment to watch.
Before thousands of watching eyes, Li Yuu's smirk deepened.
He raised a green-bordered spell card high into the air.
"I activate the Ritual Spell—Advanced Ritual Art! I send one Normal Monster from my deck to the Graveyard as tribute to Ritual Summon—"
"Born from the fusion of light and darkness, forged in chaos primeval—descend, legendary dragon!!"
"A noble beast who annihilates any who dare stand before it…"
"Whip of Total Defeat—strike!"
"Ritual Summon! Come forth—Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!!!"
A deafening ROAR shook the arena.
Brilliant blue light exploded across the battlefield as a massive dragon burst forth. Its sapphire-scaled body radiated an overpowering aura, its piercing eyes flashing with unfathomable majesty.
Its talons slammed down on the arena floor with a BOOM!, sending tremors through the ground.
Those caught in its piercing, crystal-blue gaze couldn't help but avert their eyes—its presence was too commanding, too absolute.
On the display screen, its data appeared:
— Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon
— Level: 8
— ATK: 4000
"WHOA—4000 ATK?! From a Level 8 monster?!"
"My strongest boss monster only hits 3000—and this guy just casually drops a 4000 ATK dragon?!"
"Is this even fair?! The gap between players is ridiculous!"
But in the Special Admissions seats, a different tone emerged.
"Blue-Eyes? As in Blue-Eyes White Dragon? That ancient fossil?"
Even in the Sacred Star Realm, Blue-Eyes had once been a symbol of overwhelming power—a legendary archetype whose brute-force dominance became synonymous with "strength" itself.
But that legend was over a millennium old.
Over the centuries, Blue-Eyes had long since fallen from grace. Researchers had concluded that no matter how nostalgic, it simply couldn't keep up with the modern meta.
"Three high-level beaters strung together—that's all Blue-Eyes is. What can it even do?"
"Even if he summoned a 4000-ATK boss monster—so what? He's facing Crooked Cook. That thing's invincible!"
The crowd's awe turned into skeptical mutters and sneers.
But Li Yuu's grin only grew wider.
He pointed forward and declared, voice ringing with absolute conviction:
"I already told you—this duel ends this turn."