"Because cyberspace is vast and boundless, every netrunner, upon their first dive into the cyber realm, feels both their own insignificance
"Because cyberspace is vast and boundless, every netrunner, upon their first dive into the cyber realm, feels both their own insignificance and the unique sense of power they wield within the digital world."
"Seeing and experiencing the network directly is far more intuitive than navigating it through computers and other conventional terminals."
Sasha took a small sip from her glass, as if the long explanation had left her a little parched.
Lin Mo frowned, still a bit confused.
"But what does all this have to do with quickhack components?"
After all, entering cyberspace seemed like a separate matter. Although he had never experienced the process himself, quickhacks were clearly tools for real-world combat. What connection did they have to the virtual world?
Sasha gently placed a finger on her cherry-colored lips, the corners of her mouth curving in a playful smile, signaling Lin Mo to stay quiet and keep listening.
Obediently, Lin Mo swallowed his next question.
"Most outsiders don't realize this," Sasha said softly. "Quickhacks—those invasive tools capable of directly breaching someone's neural processor—weren't actually invented by hackers like us."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, startled.
This was the first time he had heard such a secret.
Back when he played the game, everything seemed straightforward. Unlock the right perks, meet the Intelligence requirements, and you could craft whatever quickhack you wanted from the menu.
But now Sasha was saying these quickhacks weren't even human inventions?
Cyberspace. Not hacker-made. Capable of affecting the human body... Magic puppets capable of killing...
Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Mo like lightning—he connected the dots.
Rogue AI.
"Wait... are you saying the origin of modern quickhack programs is actually the rogue AIs beyond the Blackwall?"
Even though the theory made a lot of sense, Lin Mo still found it hard to believe.
Sasha's eyes widened, visibly impressed that Lin Mo had come to the conclusion on his own. After a long pause, she nodded.
"You're right. Those programs—what we call 'daemons' or 'magic puppets'—capable of directly attacking neural processors and affecting physical bodies in the real world... Most of them come from beyond the Blackwall. From rogue AIs."
Sasha's expression grew reflective.
"The legendary hacker who unleashed the virus that shattered cyberspace probably never imagined the chaos he would unleash. His actions devastated the global Net, but at the same time, it triggered a revolution in how we hackers operate."
"That virus gave rise to rogue AIs—entities far more dangerous than we ever imagined. They were hostile to humans and far more adept in cyberspace. Back in the day, hacker fights amounted to little more than booting each other offline or causing mild feedback that could affect the physical body."
"Compared to what came next, those fights were child's play. Once rogue AIs began roaming cyberspace, no netrunner dared jack in. These AIs absorbed every form of malware, every virus, and created the deadliest daemons in history."
"Hackers quickly discovered their own attacks were useless. The AIs could fry their brains, hijack their cyberware, drive them to suicide, crash their operating systems—you name it."
Lin Mo's mind reeled. These abilities—Self-Destruct, System Reset, Synapse Burnout—they were all quickhacks he'd used in the game.
Now he understood where they'd come from.
"So the AIs became unintentional teachers," Lin Mo concluded. "Hackers took the punishment, studied the patterns, and eventually developed those same daemons into usable quickhacks?"
"Exactly." Sasha nodded, leaning back slightly, her hands folded across her stomach, finally relaxing a little.
"Some hackers believe the AIs didn't even create these programs. They just stumbled upon them in forgotten corners of cyberspace—in hidden databases scattered across the old Net. All they did was learn, absorb, and weaponize them."
Lin Mo nodded in agreement.
"The Old Net's always been a giant treasure vault of forbidden knowledge. Everyone knows that."
"Unfortunately, I've never had the guts to venture into the Old Net myself," Sasha admitted. "The AIs there won't hesitate to kill you. So don't be surprised that I don't have many daemons. That cyberpsycho one I use? It took a ridiculous amount of effort to get."
So that's the reason... Lin Mo thought.
Sasha wasn't weak—it was just that V in the game had been too strong.
What she considered a rare, high-level daemon, V could probably craft in his sleep with junk parts...
"Any more questions?" Sasha asked, smiling again.
Lin Mo scratched his head, thoughtful.
"How do you usually get your hands on these daemons?"
"Mostly by learning from experienced netrunners, or by risking a trip past the Blackwall into the Old Net... Of course, there's also the classic method: kill another netrunner and rip the quickhacks from their access port."
Kill a netrunner? Lin Mo considered that one carefully.
He ruled out the Old Net immediately—that was way beyond his level right now.
Good thing he hadn't gone the netrunner route.
Even setting aside the fact that his Intelligence stat was only 4, even if he had gone that path, he'd probably still be scrambling to find any useful 'spells.'
Even in the game, netrunners had a weak early game. One stray bullet could easily end the fun.
Still, Lin Mo wondered: if he invested into Intelligence in the simulator, would he unlock perks that let him craft decryption programs?
"Access ports, huh..."
Lin Mo muttered under his breath. Killing other netrunners and stealing their access ports seemed like the most efficient way to get quickhacks.
But in the cyberpunk world, netrunners were as rare as archmages in a fantasy world. Where was he supposed to find that many high-quality targets?
Then, a few seconds later, his eyes widened.
He slapped his thigh and jumped to his feet, his expression one of sudden excitement.
"What's wrong?" Sasha asked, confused.
But Lin Mo ignored her, pacing back and forth like a madman, muttering under his breath:
"Access ports. That's right—it's the access port!"
He remembered something from the game—Rache Bartmoss, the legendary netrunner who unleashed the virus that destroyed the Net, wasn't just some background character.
There was a side quest tied to him!
This legendary hacker who once ruled the digital world... might still be lying in some freezer somewhere, forgotten and discarded like trash.
And the access port he used?
It could very well be the greatest hacker legacy in this entire world.
The Bartmoss Legacy.
Note from the Author (PS):
This chapter's lore is based on a mix of in-game and anime references, with a bit of creative liberty. Don't take it too seriously—just treat it as part of the novel's setting!
Also, the term "quick decryption components" is a bit long, so from now on, we'll just call them decryption components.
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