A young man stands in an old, plain white hoodie and track pants. With black hair and black eyes, everything about him is ordinary. This is Jon.
Jon: (I am strong, but I'm not. My name is Jon Strong, but I'm weak. I'm thirty-one years old. I work three jobs, fourteen hours a day, just to survive. I live in Raid City, Sector 7 of the Central Continent. A decade ago, I was the most successful in my circle—a legendary artist for a multinational company that sold collectible cards of the famous franchises of that time. Then came the start of the Superhuman Era. In this new era, where you see superheroes with incredible powers every day and can even become one yourself, no one wants to collect our imaginary character cards. And my pathetic self, unable to adapt to the changes, failed as time moved on.)
Jon reached his small apartment room.
Jon (angry): Why are all the fucking heroes in Sector 7 coming to Raid City? If they keep this up, the prices in the city will rise even more.
Depressed, he lay on his bed scrolling through the internet. He saw an article about a "Cleanup Crew" member who was beaten near death. The S-Rank hero, Deadfist, had replied to the controversy by saying, "Weaklings don't belong here," sparking outrage across Sector 7.
Jon: What trash. Why do only irresponsible lowlifes get to awaken? God, when will You give me a chance to awaken?
Jon (closing his eyes): Please give me an OP power. I will use all the luck of my lifetime. I'll use it all.
Dead silence... then, an explosion in the distance. The building shook slightly as the shockwave passed through.
A trunk fell from the cupboard during the tremor. Jon turned slowly with a tired expression. He looked at the box, then got up quickly with a curious face.
Jon: Oh, it's my old stuff. Let's take a look, hehehe.
He found his school uniform.
Jon: Hah, pure nostalgia. I think there was an A-Rank hero from my batch. Ahh, let's see what else.
He picked out a lot of items and threw most of them away. Then, he found a photo. It was his class group photo from his high school days.
Jon (sighing): Good old days.
He looked at a girl in the photo. His expression changed. He quickly put it back inside the trunk.
Jon: Maybe I shouldn't have checked this. Now all my regrets are coming back.
Then, he saw a small card deck bound with a rubber band.
Jon: Oh, it's my rare card collection. My god, it has rare cards from all the big franchises of the old era. It's sad, huh? I was a big shot back then. With all these rare power cards, no one in my school or company ever beat me in a game.
He slowly lay down on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a face that had lost all hope.
Suddenly—[System: Master Card System activated. Appraising cards acquired by Host. Unlocking three of Host's choosing instantly as an activation reward.]
A golden floating screen appeared before Jon's eyes.
Jon (startled): Uuuaghhh! What the fuck! Ahh, what is this?!
Jon: Master Card System? What the hell... is this some kind of image projection technology?
System: No. This is a System—a power only attained by the chosen ones. It is a product of celestial energy that holds the ability to alter the laws of nature.
Jon: Wait... did you say celestial energy? Chosen ones? Did I just awaken?
System: Affirmative. Host has awakened the ability: Master of Cards.
Jon (disappointed): So... still a weakling?
System: Negative. Host holds the power to reshape the power scale of the world with the cards you currently own.
Jon (curious): How so?
System: The Master of Cards ability allows the Host to bestow the power of the character on a card onto any living being.
Jon: So I can get powers from the cards I have?
System: Negative. Host cannot use this authority on himself.
Jon: What? How does that make sense? I can make people strong, but I can't be strong myself?
System: That is the power Host has awakened. A power as great as Celestial Law: The authority to give power to mortals.
Jon: What kind of crap is that? Wait... if I can't rule as a King, then I can rule over the Kings.
System: Detecting Host is planning to misuse the power of the Master Card System.
Jon: Whatever. State the features of the Master Card System.
System:
Ability 1: Can bestow the powers of a character on a card to any living being.
Ability 2: Beings bestowed with power by the Host can never harm the Host.
Ability 3: Can acquire new cards by touching a physical card.
Restraints: Host cannot use a card on himself or unqualified individuals.
Jon: Wait, what are "unqualified individuals"?
System: Individuals who do not possess the capacity to handle the bestowed power, or those unworthy to hold such power, are considered unqualified.
Jon: How do I use the cards? What's the mechanism?
System: Host can select a card and touch the individual to bestow the power. Host can acquire cards, but to unlock them, Host must clear conditions to unlock new cards at random.
Jon: Aaah, what a hassle. I need to do missions to unlock cards I already own, and it's random? Well, no worries since my entire deck is full of rare cards. Show me the currently available cards.
System: Host currently owns a deck of fifty-four cards. You may unlock three cards of your choosing instantly as an activation reward.
Jon (grinning): These three should do.
System: Host selected. Unlocking...
Card 1: Emperor of Apocalypse. (Power: Fire of Calamity. Rank: S. Character: Protagonist of World of Nightmares web series.)
Card 2: Silent Red. (Power: Absolute Shadow. Rank: A. Character: Major villain of Assassin's Greynight movie franchise.)
Card 3: Fastest Lightning Beast. (Power: Lightning Charge. Rank: A. Character: Main character's primary beast in Pocket Beasts animated series.)
Jon: Hehehe, with this, the starting setup is prepared. Although I have a lot of OP cards, starting carefully isn't a bad idea.
The next morning, Jon stood in front of a dog shelter.
Jon: (Mmm, what breed should I get?) Excuse me.
Shelter Owner: Yes?
Jon: Ah, I came to adopt a dog.
Shelter Owner: Thank you, sir. Please, this way.
Jon: I want a "good boy" who listens well. It's better if he has some training.
Shelter Owner: Well, we do have a boy who fits your expectations.
He showed Jon a cage where a Western Shepherd was sleeping.
Shelter Owner: He's a Western Shepherd. He was raised by a police officer and is well-trained by old-era logic. His owner died in a Gate incident. His name is Jiks.
Jon opened the cage. Jiks opened his eyes slowly and sat up.
Jon: Hi, buddy. (Pets him)
Jiks groaned in an affectionate way.
Jon: I'll take him.
A day later.
Jon: Do you like your new home, boy?
Jiks (wagging his tail): Woof!
Jon: Then it's time for your welcome treat. System, use the card Fastest Lightning Beast on Jiks.
System: Host has used Fastest Lightning Beast on target: Jiks. Target will acquire the skill "Lightning Charge" upon bestowing, and will gain further skills as they grow.
A golden aura radiated around Jiks. He looked around in confusion.
Jon: Let's test it out, Jiks.
Jiks (happy): Woof!
They went to a secluded beach.
Jon: Alright, no one is here. Jiks, sit!
Jiks sat. Jon threw a frisbee deep into the distance.
Jon: Jiks, Lightning Charge!
Jiks's body emitted sparks of yellow lightning. Vroom! In a few seconds, he caught the frisbee and returned. Jiks sat down with the frisbee in his mouth.
Jon: Good boy.
Jon: Now, for my first "Pocket Hero"... shall we go fishing?
He said this while looking at the card: Emperor of Apocalypse.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Raid City—
A young man in his late twenties with stylish blonde hair, a dark blue jacket, and black pants stood with a microphone in hand, prepared to speak.
Cameraman: 3, 2, 1... Live!
Young Man: Hi, this is Laren Jace reporting for S7 News on the appearance of a Gate Break on the school grounds of Raid City Heroes Academy. The threat level is C+ Rank. Fortunately, our youngest A-Rank hero, "Riding Knight," was nearby. He quickly formed an attack squad with his hero friends and went in to neutralize the gate. We expect it to be completed within the next two hours.
The live broadcast ended.
Cameraman: Good job, mate.
Laren's phone rang.
Laren (answering the phone): Thanks, mate. (Into the phone) Boss?
Boss: Laren, did you edit the webpage article yesterday criticizing Deadfist?
Laren: Yeah. Our editor was on leave and the supervisor dumped it on me.
Boss: Idiot! Don't you know how sensitive topics about S-Rank heroes are? And you still edited it like that?
Laren: What do you expect me to do? I wrote exactly what happened.
Boss: That is the problem, bastard! It made Deadfist look like the bad guy. Now he is angry at our channel for ruining his reputation.
Laren: What reputation? He nearly killed a civilian! How can he be so irresponsible as a hero?
Boss: Exactly because he is a "Hero" and you're not. You're fired. Don't even bother coming back here.
Cameraman: What's the problem?
Laren: I'm fucked, mate.
Laren looked down at the city as he rode the overground metro. He saw a low-ranking hero helping construction workers lift heavy weights. He saw a hero flying alongside the train before soaring even higher. People were welcoming returning heroes from a cleared gate, while nearby, a high-ranking hero was making a fuss after cops stopped him for a traffic violation. Laren watched it all, judging the heroes.
He got off and walked toward his home as the sunset illuminated the city in a red hue.
Laren (mumbling): I really don't understand this society. Why should we be afraid of them if they are heroes? They think of us as burdens, yet we celebrate them. But there are a ton of good heroes who sacrifice themselves for us...
Unknown Voice: Ooi... are you Laren Jace from S7 News?
A group of hooligans stood there smoking. At the front stood a bald man.
Laren (annoyed): Huh... I was from S7 News.
Bald Man (walking closer): Your boss seems like a clever guy, unlike you.
Laren: Wait, who the fuck are you? How do you kno—ugh!
The gang dragged him into a dark alley.
Few hours later.
Bald Man: Learn this lesson, kid. You're lucky they didn't send an Awakened.
Laren lay on the ground, bloodied, as the rain began to pour. The questions in his heart were more overwhelming than the physical pain. He slowly turned his body, trying to get up.
Laren: Why... Why is this so fucked up?
Voice: Because you are weak.
Laren: Are you here to beat me up too? Or kill me... ooorggh... (vomits blood).
A dark silhouette of a man walked closer, with another smaller silhouette behind him.
It was Jon, and behind him was Jiks.
Jon: I'm here to give you strength. The strength to get all the answers you need.