"Because cyberspace is vast and boundless, every netrunner experiences a sense of insignificance when entering it for the first time—yet, they also feel the immense power that comes with navigating the digital world," Sasha explained with a soft smile.
She continued, "Seeing the network directly, perceiving it with your own senses, is much more efficient than relying solely on computers and similar devices."
Sasha paused for a moment, taking a sip of her drink, while Lin Mo remained pensive, still not fully grasping the connection between cyberspace and quickhacks.
"Does this have anything to do with quickhacks?" Lin Mo asked, his confusion apparent.
Entering cyberspace sounded intriguing, but how was it related to the quickhacks used in real-world attacks?
Sasha raised a finger to her lips, her subtle smile encouraging Lin Mo to listen quietly.
Respecting her signal, Lin Mo swallowed his follow-up questions and waited.
"Most outsiders don't realize this, but quickhacks—the ones that can directly breach a person's neural processor—weren't invented by netrunners," Sasha said softly.
Lin Mo's eyebrows shot up. This was news to him.
When he played the game, everything seemed straightforward—unlocking the necessary perks and crafting whatever quickhacks he wanted. But now Sasha was saying these quickhacks weren't even a human invention?
"Cyberspace... Could it be that today's quickhacks originated from the rogue AIs beyond the Blackwall?" Lin Mo asked, suddenly struck by a possible answer.
Sasha blinked, clearly impressed. "You're right. The quickhacks capable of breaching neural processors and affecting people in the real world... most of them come from rogue AIs outside the Blackwall."
Her tone turned more somber as she added, "Back when the legendary hacker Bartmoss unleashed the virus that collapsed the Old Net, no one could have predicted the consequences. The virus didn't just destroy cyberspace; it changed the world of hacking forever."
Sasha's eyes grew distant as she continued. "Rogue AIs began to roam cyberspace—dangerous entities that harbored nothing but malice towards humans. In the past, hacking battles might have involved harmless skirmishes like kicking someone off a network or causing temporary brain burns in cyberspace. But once the rogue AIs arrived, everything changed."
She sighed. "Rogue AIs are far more adapted to the network than any human. They collected all the malicious software, all the viruses scattered throughout cyberspace, and used them to craft the deadliest daemons—quickhacks—humanity had ever seen."
Lin Mo's mind raced. These rogue AIs were the ones responsible for creating quickhacks like Suicide, System Reset, and Synapse Burnout—all tools used in the game to incapacitate enemies.
At last, he understood where quickhacks truly came from.
"So the AIs became the best teachers," Lin Mo muttered. "After getting crushed by these new attacks, netrunners learned how to reverse-engineer the daemons, turning them into quickhack components?"
Sasha nodded. "Exactly. Humans might've been on the receiving end at first, but they learned fast. Over time, netrunners encoded the same daemons into programs that could be used for their own advantage."
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her hands over her stomach, looking more relaxed now. "Of course, some hackers argue that the rogue AIs didn't create the daemons themselves. They believe the AIs found these programs in hidden corners of the Old Net and adapted them for their use."
Lin Mo nodded thoughtfully. "The Old Net is a treasure trove of secrets. Everyone knows that."
"Too bad I'm not brave enough to dive into the Old Net," Sasha admitted, her voice tinged with frustration. "The AIs out there wouldn't hesitate to fry your brain in an instant. So don't be surprised if my quickhack arsenal is a bit limited. The 'Cyberpsychosis' quickhack I have? It took me ages to acquire."
Lin Mo felt a surge of relief. It wasn't that Sasha was weak—it's that the game's protagonist, V, had been incredibly overpowered. What Sasha considered a prized daemon, V could create with minimal effort.
Sasha smiled again. "Anything else you're curious about?"
Lin Mo twirled a strand of his hair, deep in thought. "Where do you normally find these quickhack programs?"
"From mentors, more experienced netrunners—or if you're bold, you break through the Blackwall and dive into the Old Net. Of course, there's always the option of taking out rival netrunners and looting their cyberdecks," Sasha said casually.
"Mentors and rivals, huh..." Lin Mo mused. The idea of going into the Old Net was too daunting for him at this stage. He wasn't foolish enough to think he could handle the dangers lurking there.
It was lucky he hadn't decided to focus on netrunning.
Even if his intelligence was higher, Lin Mo figured that the path of a netrunner would involve constantly hunting for new "spells" (quickhacks). In the early stages, especially, it wouldn't have given him much ability to fight back in the real world. He could've easily ended up dead from a stray bullet while searching for programs.
He briefly wondered if increasing his Intelligence stat through the simulation would unlock crafting perks for quickhacks. That could change his whole approach...
"Cyberdecks, huh…" Lin Mo muttered, realizing that taking down other netrunners and stealing their cyberdecks might be the fastest way to get his hands on quickhack programs.
But netrunners were rare in this world, as valuable as wizards in a fantasy realm. It wasn't like he'd easily find powerful netrunners to target.
Then, a thought struck him.
His eyes widened, and in an instant, he slapped his thigh and jumped to his feet, his expression one of sudden realization.
Sasha blinked in surprise. "What's gotten into you?"
Ignoring her question, Lin Mo began pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. "Cyberdeck… That's right! A cyberdeck!"
Memories flooded his mind. He recalled a particular side mission from the game, a quest tied to the man who had unleashed the virus that collapsed the Old Net—the legendary hacker Bartmoss.
He wasn't just a background figure.
In the game, Bartmoss had left behind more than a legacy—there was an actual mission that led players to his frozen remains. The legendary netrunner, who once ruled cyberspace, was likely lying in a cryo unit, waiting to be discarded in some garbage dump like a forgotten relic.
And the cyberdeck he used—his ultimate tool—could be the greatest inheritance any netrunner could receive.
The Bartmoss Legacy.
Author's Note: The above explanation is my personal take on how the lore from the anime and the game intertwine, so there may be some discrepancies. Please take it as part of the novel's interpretation. Also, "Quickhack Components" is quite a mouthful, so I'll be shortening it to "hack components" from now on.