All Chapters of From Zero to Overpowered : Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
20 chapters
SECTOR 7 SLUMS
The city of Aethelgard was not a paradise. It was a gargantuan machine, and Sector 7 was its exhaust pipe.Kai walked through the muddy streets, his hood pulled low to mask his face. The noise here was deafening. Street vendors shrieked as they peddled grilled rat skewers, blacksmiths hammered cheap iron in a rhythmic, jarring din, and drunks wailed off-key songs outside rickety taverns.Above it all, casting a perpetual shadow over the slums, loomed The Spire.The tower was as beautiful as it was cruel. The floating islands orbiting its upper tiers shimmered with magical lights. Up there, the High Deckholders sipped wine that cost more than a human life. Down here, men stabbed each other for a single copper coin."Out of the way, trash!"A massive man shoved Kai’s shoulder roughly, nearly sending him tumbling into a pool of sewage. The man wore a local gang’s badge and had an active [Strength Buff], causing his muscles to bulge unnaturally.Kai didn't fight back. He kept walking. He
THE F-RANK EXAM
The interior of the Mercenary Guild smelled worse than a sewer: a pungent cocktail of stale beer, unwashed leather, and pure testosterone.Kai wove through the crowd of shouting adventurers to reach the registration desk. A bored-looking woman with heavy makeup was filing her nails, completely ignoring the queue."Next," she droned, without looking up.Kai stepped forward. "I want to register as a mercenary."The receptionist glanced at his clothes—stained with cave dirt and smelling faintly of spider entrails. She sneered. "Janitorial applications are in the back.""Mercenary," Kai repeated, placing 50 coins on the table—half of his entire fortune. "I’m taking the Combat Exam."The woman stopped filing. She swept the coins into a drawer with practiced speed. "Name?""Kai.""Class?""Card User," Kai said. He didn't mention Deckbuilder or Wildcard. It was safer to remain generic.The woman handed him a wooden token with the number 42 painted on it. "Training Hall B. Try not to bleed on
BARGAINING AT THE JUNK SHOP
With the F-Rank badge pinned to his chest, Kai stood before the Guild Job Board. The board was a chaotic wall covered in weathered parchment, nailed over one another in messy layers.Most of the jobs were suicide for a beginner.* "Hunt Alpha Bear - 500 Coins" (Requirement: D-Rank).* "Escort Noble Caravan" (Requirement: Full Plate Armor).Kai scanned the very bottom of the board, looking for the leftover crumbs.* "Sewage Maintenance: Clear Slimes from Sector 7 Drainage."* Reward: 10 Coins per Slime + Material Loot."Slimes," Kai muttered. "Slow. Stupid. Perfect."But he couldn't just punch a Slime. If his skin touched their acid, his HP would drain rapidly. He needed a weapon, and he had exactly 50 Coins left in his pocket.The weapon merchants in the market square wanted 500 coins for an iron sword. That was impossible.Kai turned away from the glittering market district and headed deeper into the slums, down narrow alleys that smelled of wet dogs and rust. He stopped in front of
14 URBAN PEST CONTROL
The warehouse in Sector 7 was a rotting wooden structure leaning dangerously to the left. It smelled of damp cardboard and something far more acidic."Don't break the crates," the warehouse foreman grunted, handing Kai a burlap sack. "And don't let them dissolve the support beams. If the roof collapses on you, I’m not paying for your funeral.""Understood," Kai said, stepping into the darkness.The interior was dimly lit, illuminated only by flickering mana lamps. Puddles of neon-green slime dotted the floor.--------------------------------------------------[Enemy: Green Acid Slime][Level: 2][Status: Mindless Hunger]--------------------------------------------------There were about a dozen of them, wobbling slowly between the stacks of crates. They were slow, but if even one touched Kai’s skin, it would burn like fire.Kai took a deep breath. "Time to test this build."He raised his hand. "Summon: [Scavenger Rat]."The giant rat appeared with a squeak. It saw the acid puddles an
15 HUMAN NATURE
The alley was narrow, choked at both ends by the rotting timber of the slum buildings. The only light came from a flickering streetlamp, buzzing with dying mana.Kai set the burlap sack down gently. Clink."Three against one," Kai noted, his voice steady. "The gold standard of cowardice, isn't it?"The leader of the trio, a man with a thick neck and a wooden mace studded with rusted nails, stepped forward."We prefer the term 'business partners,'" the thug sneered, revealing missing teeth. "You’re new. You don't know the rules of Sector 7. You walk our streets, you pay the toll."He pointed his mace at the sack. "Leave the loot. Walk away. And maybe you get to keep your teeth."Kai scanned them using his basic interface.* Thug A (Leader): Level 4 [Brawler]. Weapon: Spiked Mace.* Thug B: Level 3 [Thief]. Weapon: Knife.* Thug C: Level 3 [Mage - Unawakened]. Weapon: Spark Spell.They were weak. But unlike monsters, they were intelligent. They circled him in a triangular formation.I c
16 THE IRON GUILD
The tavern went deathly quiet.It wasn't the sudden silence of a fight about to break out; it was the suffocating stillness of absolute fear.The man in polished steel armor stood up from his corner booth. He didn't just walk; he marched. His iron boots clanked rhythmically against the wooden floorboards, each step echoing with absolute authority.Kai didn't look up from his stew, but his hand moved slowly beneath the table, gripping his deck.The soldier stopped at Kai’s table. He placed a gauntleted hand on the wood."You’re sitting in my seat," the man said, his voice smooth yet razor-sharp.Kai looked around. The tavern was half-empty. "There are plenty of open tables.""But I like this one. It has a good view of the door."The soldier smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He pulled out a chair and sat across from Kai, uninvited.From this close, Kai could see the intricate details of the armor. The breastplate bore the emblem of the Hammer and Anvil—the mark of the Iron Guild.Ka
17 THE UNDERGROUND PIT (THE PIT)
The entrance to The Pit wasn't marked on any map. It was hidden beneath a butcher shop in the slums, accessible only to those who knew the password ("Fresh Meat").Kai descended a spiral stone staircase. The air grew hotter with every step, vibrating with the roar of a distant crowd.At the bottom, a massive basement had been converted into a blood-sport arena. A rusted iron cage stood in the center, surrounded by wooden bleachers packed with gamblers, thieves, and off-duty guards.Kai approached the Bookie, a goblin with gold rings on every finger."I want to fight," Kai said.The goblin eyed Kai’s lean frame. "The suicide booths are at the end of the hall. This is for fighters.""I need 2,000 coins," Kai slammed his hand on the counter. "Put me in a high-stakes match."The goblin raised an eyebrow. He smirked, showing sharp yellow teeth. "2,000? That’s the main event pot. But you’re a nobody. No one will bet on you.""Then give me the opponent that no one else wants to fight."The g
18 EVOLUTION
The Iron Guild's Coin Exchange was a brilliantly lit building on the main thoroughfare. Rows of terrified merchants and F-Rank adventurers stood outside, clutching their gold pouches tight to pay their "Protection Tax."Kai stood across the street, watching them from the shadows.In his hand, he held the heavy sack of 5,000 coins. It was his ticket to freedom. He could have just crossed the road, handed it over to Lieutenant Kaelen, and bought himself another month of peace.Kai looked at the bruise on his arm from the arena wolf’s bite. He looked at the cracked edge of his [Bone Shiv]."Peace is just a slow death," Kai whispered.He turned his back on the Guild building. He walked into the darkness of the Lower District, heading toward a shop with no name—only the crude symbol of a black cauldron painted on the door.He knocked. Three times slow, two times fast.A viewing slit slid open. A pair of goggles peered out."We’re closed," a gravelly voice came from inside."I have gold," K
19 THE AMBUSH
The sun had set hours ago. A relentless, cold rain lashed against the corrugated tin roofs of Sector 7, turning the dirt streets into rivers of mud.Kai walked alone, his hood soaked through. He wasn't heading home. He was moving toward the edge of the district, intending to slip past the blockade and vanish into the wilds for a few days until the situation cooled down.He turned into "Dead Man’s Alley"—a narrow shortcut between two abandoned factories.Suddenly, the sound of the rain stopped.The thunder, the splashing of his boots, the distant hum of the city—all of it vanished instantly. The world didn't just go quiet; it went mute.Kai stopped. He stomped his foot. No sound. He tried to speak. No sound came out.--------------------------------------------------[System Alert: Zone Effect Detected][Card: Sphere of Silence][Effect: Negates all sound waves within a 50-meter radius.]--------------------------------------------------A trap, Kai realized, his heart hammering agains
THE JOKER CARD
The purple light didn't just shine; it infected the very reality of the alleyway.Raindrops froze in mid-air, turning into suspended amethyst crystals. The mud on the ground began to boil.Lieutenant Kaelen released Kai’s throat and stumbled back, his instincts screaming that he had made a fatal mistake. He raised his Greatsword, but his hands were trembling.Kai fell to his knees, clutching his chest. He watched as the interface in his vision cracked and rebuilt itself.--------------------------------------------------[System Alert: Mana Overload Detected!][Wildcard Limits Breached.][Rarity Upgrade: Temporary Legendary.]--------------------------------------------------The color wheel spinning in Kai’s vision moved so fast it became a white blur. Then, with the sound of a visual snap—like lightning striking a mirror—the spin stopped.It didn't land on Gold. It didn't land on Red.It landed on BLACK.The color of the Void. The color of Death.------------------------------------