From Zero to Overpowered

1 DEAD HAND

"Dust coated Kai’s throat like powdered glass. He swung the rusted pickaxe again.

Clang.

The sound of metal striking stone echoed through the narrow tunnel of Sector 4, a rhythm of despair that hadn’t changed in three years. Kai wiped sweat mixed with grime from his brow and glanced at the translucent interface hovering in the air—something only he could see.

[Name: Kai]

[Level: 1 (Unawakened)]

[HP: 45/50 (Fatigued)]

[Aether: 2/10]

[Current Deck: 0 Cards]

"Empty," Kai muttered, staring at the notification with dead eyes. "Just like my stomach."

In the world of Aethelgard, a man without a Deck was less than a slave. He was a resource. And judging by the subtle tremors shaking the tunnel walls, Kai felt his expiration date as a resource was fast approaching.

"Hey, mine-rat! Stop daydreaming!"

A lash of compressed air whipped past his ear, stinging his cheek. Kai flinched, but he didn't dare turn around in defiance.

Grom, the Orc overseer, towered behind him. In his massive green hand, a rectangular card glowed with a faint, menacing red light.

It was the [Whip of Agony]. Rarity: Common.

To the nobles in the Spire above, that card was trash. But down here in the pits? That card was the law.

"You’re three baskets short on the Aether quota," Grom growled, his yellow tusks gleaming in the dim lantern light. "You know the rules. No quota, no dinner."

"The vein is dry, Boss," Kai answered quietly, gripping his pickaxe tighter. "We need permission to dig deeper into the Red Zone."

Grom laughed, a sound like grinding stones. "The Red Zone? You want to feed the Deep Moles? Fine by me. But if that basket isn't full when the bell rings..."

The Orc raised the card. The red light solidified into a crackling lash of energy.

"...I’m going to use your skin to polish my boots."

Before Kai could answer, the ground beneath them lurched.

It wasn’t a normal tremor. It was a violent, vertical jolt that rattled Kai’s teeth.

BOOM!

The ceiling in the distance collapsed. Dust exploded into the corridor, followed by the terrifying sound of shifting bedrock. Thousands of tons of it.

"Collapse!" someone screamed.

Grom’s face went pale. He instantly canceled his whip card and pulled another from his belt—a card glowing with a soft teal hue. [Swift Step].

Without a second glance at the workers, Grom activated the card. A whirlwind of energy wrapped around his bulky frame, and he sprinted toward the exit with inhuman speed.

"Wait! Don't leave us!" Kai shouted.

But it was too late. The main support pillar next to Kai cracked.

The sound was like a cannon shot.

Kai tried to run, but the floor beneath him gave way. The world spun. Darkness swallowed him whole. The sensation of freefall lasted only two seconds, but it felt like an eternity before he slammed into solid ground with a sickening thud.

Pain.

That was the only thing that existed. Pure, white-hot pain.

Kai coughed, spitting out dust. He tried to move his legs, but a sharp agony shot up from his left ribs.

[System Alert!]

[Fall Damage Detected.]

[HP: 12/50]

[Status: Critical Injury (Movement Speed -50%)]

"Great," Kai hissed through clenched teeth. "Not dead, but close enough."

He fumbled in the darkness. The air down here was damp and smelled of ancient mold. He must have fallen into a natural crevice beneath the mining layers.

His hand brushed against something cold. Not stone.

Bone.

Kai recoiled, holding his breath. His eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom. In front of him, slumped against the wet cave wall, sat a human skeleton. The remains of its armor suggested it—or he—was once an adventurer. Rotted fabric, a snapped leather belt.

But that wasn’t what caught Kai’s attention.

The skeleton’s hand was still clutching something. A card.

In this world, cards usually lost their power and crumbled to dust if their owner died and ran out of Mana to sustain them. But this card was different.

It was... broken.

Visually broken.

The surface didn’t display a clear image of a dragon or a sword. Instead, the image on the card flickered like a damaged television screen. Gold, then purple, then dull gray. The text on it shifted rapidly, displaying alien characters that made no sense, as if reality itself was trying to patch a software bug.

Kai’s heart raced. His instincts screamed at him to run. The object felt wrong. It felt volatile.

But then, he heard another sound.

Skreee...

The sound of claws scratching against stone. Coming from the direction of his fall.

Kai looked up. In the darkness above, two red dots glowed. Eyes. Hungry eyes.

It wasn't a normal rat. It was a Scavenger Rat. The size of a large dog, with teeth capable of chewing through iron ore.

Kai looked at his HP: 12/50. He had no weapon. His pickaxe was lost in the fall.

"Die or go crazy," Kai whispered, his voice trembling.

He had no choice.

With a shaking hand, Kai reached out to the skeletal fingers and snapped the grip loose. He grabbed the flickering card.

The moment his skin touched the card’s surface, a chill shot down his spine. Not the cold of ice, but the cold of the void.

A blue box appeared in front of his eyes. But this one was vibrating, and the color shifted to a deep, alarming crimson.

[ERROR: Ownerless Card Detected.]

[Initiating Forced Synchronization Protocol...]

.

.

[Synchronization Complete.]

[Congratulations! You have obtained Origin Card: The Wildcard (Glitch)]

The monster rat hissed and leaped from the ledge.

Kai raised the card in front of him, the only shield he had left.

"Come on then!" Kai screamed, his voice raw. "Show me what you can do!"

He crushed the card in his hand.

The world seemed to stop spinning.