Pulling the cards should grant instant mastery of whatever skill is on the card. However, this doesn't seem to work for me. It would be more plausible if the protagonist only received a basic version of the skill, regardless of how advanced the original card was, or even a watered-down version of something that requires extensive training and several other skills to master. Instead, he can pull out even 'mastery' of weapons and hand-to-hand combat and use them flawlessly, despite having an untrained body. This is especially problematic with firearms, where an untrained individual would lack the physical strength and coordination necessary to handle the recoil and maintain steady aim. Hand-eye coordination, understanding of external factors like wind, distance, and movement, and the physical conditioning required to avoid shaking—all these elements require significant training. Yet, the protagonist can shoot better than a trained agent at a greater distance, simply by stealing the skill.
Moreover, the idea that a mindless average Joe can suddenly perform complex tasks in fields like technology, biology, or other areas requiring deep study and understanding, just by pulling a card, stretches believability. The body and mind need to be conditioned and trained to execute such skills effectively. A more realistic approach would be to have the skill partially locked or reduced to a minimum level, with instructions on how to unlock or train further. For physical skills, the system could display a message like "*Error: Physical ability insufficient. Skill reduced to minimum/locked. Training methods provided.*" For mental skills, it could say "*Error: Required knowledge in field 'X' not met. Basics of skill locked. Study 'X' to degree 'Y' to unlock.*" This would allow the protagonist to grow and develop through genuine effort and learning, enhancing their character arc.
However, the current setup where the protagonist becomes "amazing" and "monstrously talented" after collapsing from heat during basic training is unrealistic. In a world with mutants, such rapid improvement to absurd levels should raise suspicion among the characters. The fact that no one finds his sudden, extraordinary abilities strange undermines the story's immersion. It feels like a self-insert narrative where everything revolves around the protagonist, rather than a cohesive story where the protagonist interacts with and is affected by the world around them.
