It's Not a Trash Card
"──Lost World."
A colossal shape burst from the sea, cleaving the waves, accompanied by a serene voice.
The students, buzzing with excitement over yet another Zone card activation, fell silent one by one.
The domain Ricardo had unfolded was far too alien to belong to a seventeen-year-old student this year.
Towering skyscrapers that pierced the heavens, and in their midst, a massive goddess statue half-buried in ruin. It symbolized the once-brilliant civilization that had flourished on that land—but also stood as grim proof of its pathetic end.
Shattered glass windows everywhere, blackened and scorched high-rises. Gray pillars lined the streets, draped in hideous black tendrils like the innards of some beast.
Wheeled contraptions resembling carriages lay scattered pathetically across the roads, while human shadows fused to staircases hinted at the horrors that had unfolded there.
[Lost World]. A lost world. It resembled a vast tomb.
"Th-this is…"
Beatrice gasped behind him, but Alessia muttered involuntarily.
A Zone was the most raw projection of a player's psyche among Origin cards.
'Bardi County… Bardi County… Not a central powerhouse, but I've never heard they're struggling.'
On the contrary, they were among the wealthier provincial noble houses.
Yet how could the eldest son of such a family harbor an psyche like this?
'Is the heir training that brutal? No, even then…'
As Alessia's misconceptions deepened, Ricardo's turn continued.
"The moment Lost World is deployed, I can deploy Rusty Factory from my deck without consuming any Mana Crystals."
"Rusty Factory…?"
Ricardo smoothly drew a card from his deck and placed it on the field. As the Battle Table read the card's data, another object materialized in the heart of the lost world.
A cluster of buildings rose tall like the others in [Lost World]. But neglected and rust-eaten, they looked grotesque.
"With Rusty Factory's effect, at the end of each of my turns, I gain Factory Gauge based on the creatures on my field. Plus, up to three gauges per creature."
Ricardo raised three fingers on his right hand, then drew another card from his hand.
"And with that, I'll summon Cursed Marionette."
"…Hm?"
Over the dead world, a weathered wooden puppet creaked into view. Strange runes etched across its body evoked an unsettling dread.
★1 / Darkness Type / Machine Family
Stats: 0
"C-Cursed Marionette…? Stats of 0? You're using a trash card like that?"
Alexander's eye twitched as he demanded.
[Cursed Marionette] was a Support card, not Origin. Support cards were mass-produced and sold in shops for young or inexperienced players whose Origin cards underperformed. Naturally, they paled against the Origin cards of storied noble houses.
The issue was that [Cursed Marionette] was deemed trash even among Supports. As if to prove it, its rank floating before the students was ★1. Stats: 0.
Low stats didn't always mean trash, of course. But people thrilled to flashy creature battles, unleashing pent-up violence through Magic & Creature.
Thus, weak-stat creatures got low marks—and [Cursed Marionette] was so reviled it never even got a chance.
"You mock me?!"
"Seems like a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding my ass! Pulling trash like that in a sacred duel—isn't that mockery?!"
Alexander erupted in fury. Many in the stands nodded in agreement.
"It's not trash."
Yet Ricardo's voice echoed calmly, not loud but clear in every ear.
"What?"
"This card is the one I chose from thousands for victory."
"You think that makes sense?!"
"If you can't believe it, I'll just have to prove it."
Dismissing Alexander's rage casually, Ricardo set another card from his hand face-down on the Battle Table.
"I set one magic circle and end my turn. And now, Rusty Factory's effect triggers."
Ding── Ding── Ding──
A chilling bell toll reverberated.
The [Cursed Marionette], shoulders slumped limply, shuffled into the [Rusty Factory].
"Cursed Marionette provides 1 Factory Gauge. So the gauge in Rusty Factory is now 1."
Ding── Ding── Ding──
The bell rang again. The marionette staggered back out and stood blankly in place.
"Wh-what…?!"
Alexander, grinding his teeth at the sight, flushed his bronze skin crimson and bellowed.
"Fine! I'll see if that trash can truly lay the foundation for victory! My turn!!"
He roughly drew his card, veins bulging savagely on his hand. One worried the card might crumple, but the embedded magic held firm even in the sea-man's grip.
"I summon Seafloor Sniper!"
Unlike his slamming motion, no creature appeared this time either.
★2 / Water Type / Fish, Warrior Family
Stats: 1,800
"Time to teach you the terror of the sea! Seafloor Sniper attacks Cursed Marionette!! With Belluraca's domain effect, my Water-type Seafloor Sniper gains 30% stat boost!!"
Even without that, stats 0 couldn't withstand it. The poison dart shot from the depths, venomous in tune with its master's rage.
The [Cursed Marionette] took the shot to the chest and slowly crumbled. Alessia glimpsed Ricardo's hand tense for a split second.
"Hmph! Being stats 0 trash means no Soul Point damage on defeat—at least that's one merit!!"
Soul Points (SP). 5,000 in duels. Free rules varied by soul strength. Damage equaled fallen creature's stats; zero SP meant defeat—a vital factor.
"I end my turn!! Your move!!"
"Then right now, Cursed Marionette's special ability triggers."
"What?!"
Face impassive despite the loss, Ricardo pulled the card from the graveyard.
"When destroyed by an opponent's attack and sent to the graveyard, Cursed Marionette revives once at end of turn as an Undead creature."
As if echoing its master's chilling tone, the fallen marionette creaked upright. The curse within finally awakened.
Of course, it was no grand curse—just crude black magic etched playfully into a lifeless puppet for endless motion.
Creak. Creeeak…
Ricardo eyed it briefly, then activated the face-down from last turn.
"Now, I activate my set magic circle—Rampaging Black Magic."
Mana Crystals: 4 → 3
Three cards burst from his deck onto the Battle Table.
"At end of turn when an Undead with 500 or less stats is summoned from graveyard, summon as many same-name creatures as possible from deck."
Three more [Cursed Marionettes] appeared on the field.
"And now, Cursed Marionette's other special ability triggers."
A curse's chain. The spell etched into [Cursed Marionette] wasn't refined—just activated by exposure to undead miasma.
Black energy spiderwebbed through the crude puppet theater wandering the dead world.
Black magic was born to return foreign dead to their homes. Defying that, the aimless puppets seemed pitiful.
Ding── Ding── Ding──
The bell tolled again; the marionettes shuffled into [Rusty Factory].
"At turn end, Rusty Factory triggers too. Undead Cursed Marionettes share black magic energy."
Thus, the extended-activity undead provided 3 gauges each.
The rusty factory meter spiked to 13.
Ding──! Ding──! Ding──!!
Amid the ominously fierce tolls—
"Then, my turn again."
Ricardo's red eyes gleamed coldly.