The New Earth—that’s what humanity of this era calls it. This is set 2,000 years after Earth was last a normal place for humans, back when they lived in peace, advancing AI, robotics, and other technologies. In those days, their biggest challenges were rooted in scientific discovery. Yet even now, humanity is still grappling with the mysteries behind a powerful force known as the Card Essence.

By then, Earth had taken on a completely different shape. New continents had formed—Atlantica, Pangaea Nova, Saharasia, and more. Sound familiar? In the distant past, these landmasses went by different names, but now, they were part of a transformed world.

Over the course of 2,000 years, around 70% of Earth's population was lost due to catastrophic disasters, the reshaping of the planet, and entire landmasses sinking while others rose. This great upheaval drastically reduced the number of nations.

In short, humanity had to adapt to these colossal changes, which were more than just environmental shifts—they were mass catastrophes, creating a post-apocalyptic world now governed by a magical force called the Card Essence.

Card Essence, in its simplest form, is a type of natural magic—a force that didn’t exist on Earth before. This mysterious energy caused animals, plants, and many other things to evolve into dangerous, more aggressive versions of themselves, which people began calling Monsters.

Many of these creatures were hostile, attacking humans and bringing to life a world that resembled the post-apocalyptic fantasy settings once confined to books.

But the Card Essence didn’t just reshape the environment—it also transformed humans! They began to experience an evolutionary shift, known as the Awakening.

During this phase, humans gained the ability to use Cards—yes, actual cards! These rectangular objects bore illustrations, names, and descriptions, much like the trading card games of the past, such as Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Pokémon.

These cards appear magically to those who are awakened, giving them the power to wield extraordinary abilities. With these cards, they can perform incredible feats—summoning creatures from other worlds, gaining supernatural powers. Flying, splitting mountains, breathing fire—whatever magical ability you can imagine, these cards make it possible.

You can fight using the power of these cards. That’s the reality of this era. Sounds fun, right?

You can collect cards, grow stronger, and even trade them to amass wealth. It should be a lot of fun!

But in reality, those who undergo the awakening often find themselves thrust into a much harsher world. “For the sake of humanity,” they say!

First, there’s the task of fighting monsters. Then, defending regions. After that, it's about conquering other territories, engaging in wars when necessary, and navigating the endless agendas that unfold on a global scale.

But let’s put aside the heavy stuff and the complexity of these so-called Card Masters. Yes, that’s what they call those who awaken to the Card Essence—Card Masters.

Most of them start in their teenage years, typically around 13, though some begin as early as 12 or even 10. When they reach the point where they can see strands of energy, like the Essence floating in the air—usually when they half-close their eyes or deeply concentrate—that’s the sign. It means they’ve attuned to the Card Essence.

At this stage, they’re ready to undergo the awakening ceremony, where they’ll discover how many Capacity Slots they possess. Each card has something called Essence Points, which refers to the amount of energy or power a card requires to be equipped.

The Card Master's Capacity Slots, combined with a card’s Essence Points, determine how many cards they can handle at once. The higher the capacity slots, the more powerful or numerous the cards they can wield.

The bad news? Each awakener is born with a fixed number of Capacity Slots, and that number will never change throughout their life. It’s a fate you can’t escape as a Card Master.

Card Masters are ranked based on their Capacity Slots: Rank E has 1 to 3 slots, Rank D has 4 to 6, Rank C holds 7 to 9, Rank B has 10 to 12, and Rank A has 13 to 15 slots. Then, there’s Rank S, with 16 slots or more—though no one truly knows the upper limit.

When someone awakens as a Rank S—an extremely rare occurrence—their future is practically guaranteed. They’re treated like VIPs by the Union, receiving special training and privileges, destined to become the next stars of the Union!

***

It was a grand hall, lined with rows of hundreds of seats, and at the far end stood a stage. Above the stage, on the second floor, sat the Union officials, watching intently, waiting to see if any of the new awakeners would emerge as the next bright stars for the Union.

Tavian Butcher, a 13-year-old boy with messy hair and a worn-out jacket, sat quietly among the crowd. His thin frame went unnoticed by everyone in the room. He was one of the participants in that day's awakening process.

Tavian came from a mining town, a remote place where people lived inside caves, their lives revolving around extracting resources. Despite his young age, he was already used to the hard labor of mining. His lean body wasn’t from starvation alone—though he was often underfed—but rather, he had muscles that weren’t properly supported by nutrition, giving him a skinny appearance despite standing at 175 cm tall.

One by one, the participants were called forward to undergo their awakening assessment. Each was summoned by the number pinned to their chest, to receive two crucial evaluations: their rank, which determined how many Capacity Slots they possessed, and their Signature Card.

The Signature Card was particularly important, as it became the foundation of their growth. For instance, if someone awakened with a Rare - Offensive Card like Flame Dragon’s Breath, their path would naturally develop around acquiring cards that complemented that Signature Card. Knowing one's Signature Card was vital, as it often decided their future potential.

"Number 89." A young woman stepped forward, her long blonde hair catching the light. She wore a flowing, knee-length white dress and moved with effortless grace as she made her way to the stage.

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The high-level Card Masters did their usual procedure, and after a moment, the announcement followed.

"Rank A!"

The entire room instantly snapped to attention, all eyes on the girl. Rank A! It was the second-highest rank, and naturally, it was an extraordinary result. This was the first Rank A of the day, and the atmosphere buzzed with excitement. Truly a remarkable achievement.

But the tension grew even thicker, as the next part of the assessment was about to begin: her Signature Card. This was where they would determine the rarity and category of her card.

Rarity ranged from Common - White, Uncommon - Green, Rare - Blue, Epic - Purple, Gold - Legendary, and Red - Mythic. The rarity was easy to spot, as it was displayed on the back cover of the card. One look at the color would immediately reveal how special—or not—the card was.

Meanwhile, the category determined the type of card. There were 20 known categories so far, each affecting the front cover's color. Categories included Offensive, Defensive, Support, Utility and many more. Even Tavian couldn't remember them all. He'd need to brush up on this knowledge once the ceremony was over.

“Legendary - Defensive Card!” the announcement echoed once again.

A Legendary Card?! Tavian couldn’t believe it. This girl was easily the luckiest person he had ever seen in his life.

The crowd erupted in applause, many standing in awe of her achievement. Tavian joined in, clapping along, though he couldn’t help but overhear the murmurs of discontent around him.

"Ugh, Legendary, but Defensive? What a waste. She could've been massive with an Offensive Card or something stronger, like Summoning or Transformation."

“Lucky, but not really. I bet she’ll regret it.”

“A Defensive Card? She might as well be a meat shield, hahaha..."

Tavian overheard the grumbling from those around him. So, a Legendary Defensive Card wasn’t as dazzling as it sounded?

“Number 129!”

A few minutes later, it was finally Tavian's turn. He stood up quickly, fumbling to straighten his worn-out jacket. Almost immediately, he felt the familiar stares of disdain from some of the onlookers.

"Someone from a mining town." They recognized the mark on the back of his jacket, the same one worn by miners.

"A poor kid."

"I wonder if he’ll go home disappointed, realizing he’s just going to be another nobody."

Tavian had grown used to these kinds of remarks since arriving in the city a few weeks ago for the awakening ceremony. It was nothing new.

Even back in the mining town, he was just the orphan kid, working by himself. Insults like these didn’t hurt anymore. He had grown thick-skinned—used to it, really.

He stepped up onto the stage, where the instructor gestured for him to place his hands on the glowing sphere resting on the table. Tavian approached and placed his hands over it, watching as swirling rings of energy began to form within the sphere.

He’d be happy with a Rank C—he didn’t have high expectations. Did he even have the right to hope for more? Deep down, though, he wanted a Rank S, if possible. A Transformation Card or Summoning Card would be incredible. But still, he tried to temper his hopes, not wanting to set himself up for disappointment if the results fell short.

"Five Capacity Slots, Rank D," the instructor announced.

Five capacity slots. Well, not bad, he guessed. With five capacity slots, he could at least land a better job and improve his life. Wasn’t that better than spending the rest of his days mining until he died?

Next, Tavian moved on to the next step. The instructor handed him a blank card.

"Hold the card close to the sphere and wait for a moment," they instructed.

Tavian nodded and did as he was told, bringing the plain white card toward the glowing sphere. He waited for a few seconds, feeling the anticipation build. Then, slowly, the card began to change. It was an incredible sight.

He glimpsed the reflection of the back cover in the sphere—it was still mostly white, but now patterns and a ring with the Card Essence mark started to form. The front cover was also shifting, taking on a yellowish hue and gradually becoming a solid yellow.

Utility Card? He happened to remember that yellow was the color for Utility Cards.

They said the full card information—like the illustrations, name, and description—would appear shortly after the awakening, but the rarity and category were already clear from the color of the back and front cover.

"White Back Cover, so it’s Common, the lowest rarity. And yellow means it's a Utility Card," the instructor announced.

“And the Card’s EP?” he asked.

Tavian glanced at the five small diamonds etched on the left side of the card, which indicated the card’s Essence Points (EP).

"Five EPs, sir."

The instructor shook his head slightly. "You’ve awakened with 5 capacity slots, and your Signature Card takes up all 5 as well. Congrats. That’s practically the same as not awakening at all."

Tavian stood still for a moment, unsure of how to feel. Part of him had hoped for something like an Offensive or Transformation Card, but it seemed his fate was sealed—to end up as a general worker.

"Take your Card Device. You’ll be assigned to the Forge division to start your Card Cultivation," the instructor said. "From there, you can work your way to Card Apprentice and select a job that suits you. But with a Signature Card that fills all five of your capacity slots, you won’t be able to equip any additional cards. Let’s hope your Signature Card turns out to be worth it."

"Thanks, sir," Tavian muttered.

He nodded and walked over to another station, where a metallic silver bracelet—the Card Device—was handed to him. It would record his status and everything related to his cards.

As he stepped off the stage, he kept his head down, still staring at the card in his hand, unsure of what his future would hold.

White—Common rarity. The lowest tier. It was the most average, the most unremarkable. In other words, Tavian was average—practically worthless. To make matters worse, it was a Utility card.

But at least, with Common rarity, having a Utility card made some sense, right? If he had been stuck with an Offensive card of Common rarity and only 5 capacity slots, he would’ve been utterly useless to any community. He wouldn’t have been able to grow or progress any further, trapped by the limitations of his card.

As he walked away, his eyes stayed on the card, waiting for the front to reveal its illustrations and the text that would define what it could do.

The image slowly formed—a figure bathed in golden light, surrounded by massive chains shattering all around them. An aura radiated from the figure.

His gaze flicked to the text at the top of the card. It was supposed to show the rarity and category.

[Special - Utility.]

Wait—Special? That didn’t make sense. It should’ve written Common - Utility, right?

He looked down at the card's name: Limit Break.

What?

His heart raced as he read the description.

[Shatters all slot limitations, allowing the user to equip and activate multiple cards.]

Tavian froze, his hands trembling as he processed the information.

A Special Card! This was no ordinary, useless card—it was something far more powerful than he'd ever imagined.