Lucy was wondering where she was in the story when Brad, who didn't miss a single word she said, saw this hesitation and reminded her. Lucy thanked him politely and continued with her story. Dan briefly glanced at Brad as if to say that he was a teacher's pet. Brad ignored him and continued to listen to Lucy with great intent.
“As you can see, Max Vega had produced the cards, but the cards came at a disadvantage. It has something to do with the fundamentals of alchemy I think, I'm not very good with the technical details. You can't get anything without sacrificing something in return. That's the logic behind it.
"From the moment Max produced these cards, it was inevitable that they would attract the attention of all Corpo-states. Immediately, appropriations were created for Max, and a team was assigned to work under him. The biggest invention of this team, which was researching how people could use cards in the most optimal way, was the CyberDeck, the thing you happen to have on your spine.”
Lucy surveyed the room at this stage of her speech. There was a leaden silence in the room. She glanced around to see if anyone had anything to add. She tucked her hair behind her ears and acted as if she was thinking about her memories and trying not to misrepresent something. After a short moment, she cleared her throat and continued where she had left off.
“Since they are historical information, I can easily explain them, but it cannot be said that I fully know the working principles of the CyberDeck. Still, at their core, CyberDecks allow people to activate enchanted cards. Think about the card I just gave you, it's basically useless without a CyberDeck. Even if you hold it in your hand and cut off your pinky finger, you will find that the card does not transform. There are rumors circulating among people who say that the CyberDeck connects the cards with the soul of the person. But people who are not so spiritual also put forward other theories. Some say that this magical energy awakens something that is already within us and it activates the cards.”
Zoe felt the need to interrupt, taking advantage of Lucy's silence. “Is the working principle of the CyberDeck hidden from the public or is it not understood by the public? I can't say I fully understand that part."
Lucy answered the question with a smile, pleased that Zoe was now more engaged. “Actually, it's like how ordinary people can't convey exactly how most technology works. Scientists can explain things, but it sounds like a magic trick to people who don't understand the technical terms."
Zoe decided to inflame the discussion further. "So you're arguing that what Max found isn't magic, it's a subfield of technology? Is it a phenomenon we call magic simply because we don't understand it?"
Brad, Dan, and even Flo were excited by the heated question. It was an interesting subject and everyone was interested in how they would come to a conclusion. Lucy, who was also delighted that the discussion had become more ardent, began to speak eagerly with a smile. "It is not exactly like that. If you remembered what the cards can do, you would know that it really is magic. It is viewed by the public as just another aspect of magic because it's an intricate technology. If you want, you can research this subject further when you go up from the Abyss. However, this is a complex science, so it is necessary to master the subject to fully comprehend it." Lucy wanted to close the topic with a quote: “A great writer in the past once said, “Magic is just science that we don't understand yet.”
Zoe understood what Lucy was trying to convey, and the phrase "If you remembered what the cards can do" got her a little excited. And a much more important question came to her mind, which perhaps she should have asked a long time ago. But first, she wanted to give Lucy her due. “Now I understand what you mean. CyberDecks are tools that allow us to use magical energy in a technological way. But because it is both complex and magical, the technological part is also seen as magic. I just want to ask one more thing. Since I have the CyberDeck, I must have enchanted cards too, right? How can I use them?”
She began to explain to Zoe how to access magical cards, which not only Zoe but everyone in the room was curious about. “First of all, I don't think there are any cards on you. The reason I think so is because you were thrown here. I wish there were cards on you but that's a really low probability. You have a Legendary curse and that means you had a Legendary card before you were thrown here. Nobody would want this card to rot in the Abyss. You can still ask your CyberDeck to enter the interface and show you your Deck. I am also very curious.”
After the last thing she had heard, nightmarish thoughts suddenly began to flood Zoe's mind. Cain, did you betray me for my card? she thought. Could someone really do this for a card? Could a card be worth more than a friend? Were you really my friend, Cain? As she thought about all this, the pain in Zoe's chest grew a little sharper. She grabbed her chest with one hand and began accessing her CyberDeck's interface. She asked the Cyberdeck to show her the deck status.
—CyberDeck—
Deck Status: 0 Cards
Zoe was waiting for this result, but still, she didn't want to face this result at all. Had she really been betrayed for her card or cards? Or were there other reasons? Cain, did you betray me just for my cards? We must have been pretty close since I couldn't believe you pushed me. Why else would you have done this? Zoe ran her hands through her hair. She held her forehead as if she had a headache.
No one asked Zoe if she had a card. The situation was already clear from the picture. Since they didn't know Zoe very well, they weren't sure if she would prefer to be left alone. This anxiety of the people in the room did not last long, Zoe gathered herself and began to speak. She turned to Lucy, not wanting to let her mood show. “I guess you were right. Legendary cards must be as valuable as you say. I wish I could remember what kind of card it was.” The fire burning in her chest made her say another sentence, "Was it a card worth betrayal, for example?"
Lucy stood up abruptly and took a few steps toward Zoe and placed her hand on Zoe's shoulder tenderly. “There is no such thing as a card worth betrayal. All enchanted cards may be interesting and tempting, but none justify treachery.”
Although Zoe was stunned by this unexpected kindness, her heart was warmed. She placed her hand on Lucy's knee, thanked her for her consolation, and stood strong as if nothing sad had happened. She could now speak more clearly about the gravity of the situation she was in, “Then once you're cursed, the curse remains on you, even if the card is gone from you. Now even if I don't have a Legendary card, I have to live with a Legendary curse, right?"
Lucy, who was still sitting next to Zoe, shook her head bitterly. "Unfortunately. The person who converts the card is branded with a curse, but another person that takes the card can use it without being affected by this curse. In fact, according to what we learned from the last fallen ones, even a profession related to it has emerged. People called Cursed Dummies trigger cards in exchange for money and are branded with a curse. Then they return the card to its owners.”
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Only Zoe was very surprised to hear this. Maybe the others didn't care because they knew about it already, or maybe because they could remember the world above, they thought, "The world above is such a place anyway." But the fact that something like this became a profession was telling Zoe too much about the world above. Zoe, who took some time to digest what she had heard, finally spoke. “So I understand that the situation in the world above is not very good either.” After a moment of silence, she turned back to Lucy to learn about what else she had in mind. “So what does SorCyber mean? Is it a word for people who use the CyberDeck?”
Getting up again, Lucy began to pace the small room. For someone who gave general historical information, it could be seen that it was difficult for her to convey certain things. Dan and Brad looked at each other. Since they had learned that Lucy was a former SorCyber, they had noticed this unusual attitude in her. Yet, they did not say a word. Even though Lucy was a friendly person, other people in Araf tried to be formal with her out of respect for her. It was no different with Dan and Brad.
Weighing how to start the conversation, Lucy finished her walk around the room and began to speak. “With the invention of CyberDecks, humanity now had a hope against AI. Now there was a need for soldiers to use them and fight. That's when the first 500-man SorCyber army was formed. This word, which was produced from the combination of the words Cybernetic Sorcerer, represented these soldiers. This used to be the case, although nowadays one no longer needs to be a soldier to become a SorCyber. And as you can imagine, the existence of the SorCybers changed the direction of the war. The devastated AI had promised to surrender and disarm and were forced to live in only a small area that belonged to them. Most people wanted AIs to be completely destroyed, but this was not accepted because it was not in the interest of Corpo-states.”
“Wow,” Zoe said to what she heard. “It is truly incredible how 500 people can change the course of a war! SorCybers are that powerful, huh?" Hearing this story made Zoe feel proud to be a SorCyber. It was as if she herself fought among those 500 people. Zoe, who was extremely captivated, was now hungry to learn more.
“What kind of cards did these SorCybers have? In fact, you only told me about the rarity of the cards. I want to know what kind of cards there are!”
Lucy, who was walking around the room again, stood in front of the wall that had various spare parts. For some reason, Zoe's comments made her smile too. Indeed, it was unbelievable that 500 people could change the course of a war. Avoiding expressing too much emotion, Lucy decided to answer Zoe's question. “Almost all of the cards that the SorCybers had at that time were Legendary and Mythical. The rarity levels increased with the size of the Philosopher's Stones used on the cards. And of course, humanity would arm its strongest military team with the greatest weapons. Card Types are divided into 6 as far as I know.
Trap: These are trap cards, as you might have guessed from the name. These cards, which can be activated under certain conditions, are perfect for catching your enemy off guard!
Utility: These cards can provide benefits in many ways. For example, you can find cards that increase your stats, as well as cards that give you other benefits.
Ritual: This is one of the most interesting types of cards. You'd be shocked to see what people can do with ritual cards. I'll go into this in more detail later because even now we live in a place that is under the influence of a Ritual card.
Morph: This card type allows the user to transform. Some cards can morph a single part of the body, while others can cause the entire body to be transformed. They are said to be the best cards for stat boosts.
Elemental: As you might guess from the name, these cards allow you to dominate the elements. For example, you can dominate fire and cast such spells.
Summon: This card type also helps you spawn a summon. The summon's abilities can be improved based on the rarity of the card. You are usually connected with your mind to the summons.
“Even though those are all of the card types,” Lucy continued, giving Zoe a furtive glance to see if she had digested the information. “You can see that a card has more than one type. For example Elemental/Summon or Morph/Elemental/Summon… When it comes to magic cards, what can happen is beyond imagination and expectation.”
The knowledge of the magic cards gave Zoe joy. Indeed, there were so many types of cards, and at the same time, the fact that they could be combined made the possibilities almost limitless. As she considered these possibilities, she realized that it was critical that she learned about another thing Lucy said. “I think I understood the basics of card types, but you lost me a bit in the stat part. What does stat mean and how exactly does it relate to cards?”
Lucy got up again and started walking, came to Flo's side, and put her hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to take over? You can explain that better.” Silent for so long, Flo seemed happy that her expertise could finally be beneficial. She cleared her throat and gave a haughty look. “Of course, I will tell you, after all, it is related to my profession,” she said and turned to Zoe.
“First of all, let me tell you about my job so that you'll be more familiar with the subject,” Flo said, keeping her eyes on Zoe. Because of her gigantic size, Flo looked as if she were standing, despite sitting down. Zoe was also somewhat happy that someone other than Lucy was starting to talk. It wasn't because she had a problem with Lucy. She wanted to get to know the others too, and the way to do that was by talking to them. Zoe was thinking about all this when Flo started to talk, so she turned all her attention to her.
“What I do as a TechDoc is to replace the cybernetic parts of people's bodies. Unfortunately, being a technician is not the only necessity to do this. You must also have knowledge of medicine. You know more or less what I do, as I have already treated you. But here's the thing. The stats in the human body change depending on the upgrade, the quality of the parts used, alloys, cables, and many other variables. Apart from that, enchanted pieces, arcane artifacts, and magical talismans can also increase your stats.
"People who don't have a CyberDeck like me or Brad can feel this change, but they don't know the exact response. So you see, the CyberDeck can also tell you exactly what your stats are. Well, if you are asking what will these stats do, they can add value to you depending on the type of magic you use. In fact, you may have to shape your body according to the spells you have.
“You can review your own stats from your CyberDeck soon, but to summarize, stats can be described as follows.
Strength: The Strength stat affects power-related spells. It is influenced not only by cybernetic upgrades but also by muscle mass.
Agility: The Agility stat is connected to agility and influenced by light and flexible cybernetic parts, as well as lean muscle mass.
Intelligence: The Intelligence stat is related to cognitive abilities, allowing for faster thinking, decision-making, and analysis. It is also linked to the innate ability for magic. It can be increased through enchantments, charms, or special cards, but not through cybernetic upgrades.
Will: The Will stat displays willpower, determination, and mental fortitude, it is usually innate and can be increased with enchanted upgrades, utility cards, and enchanted charms, also it increases with experience. Unlike INT stat, there aren't any cards that become more powerful with the Will stat, but there are cards that boost it. It is mainly used for mental empowerment.
Elemental Stats and Bonuses: Elemental stats and bonuses improve abilities in elemental magic by adding body upgrades, such as weapons or parts that enhance the specific element used in spells.
Although the way to improve these stats is usually by changing parts of your body, as I mentioned before, you can also increase your stats with utility cards. I know I gave very general information, but it would be enough if you just understood the logic for now. Because unfortunately there aren't many upgrades we can do for you in the Abyss anyway."
Zoe, who didn't even make a sound or even move a hair during the conversation, had memorized everything in her head. Indeed, the idea of changing your body according to the magic you had made sense to her as well. It was interesting but logical. Even though there were a few things she didn't understand, she thought that after she learned more about the cards, she would comprehend them too.
Flo shot a glance at Zoe, Is there anything you want to ask?" Bored with sitting, Zoe stood up and stretched her body a little. “Now I understand better why the word SorCyber was made up instead of Sorcerer.” she said. She checked to see if the people around her were smiling, but she saw mostly bittersweet smiles. At that moment, she realized that the people in the room had heard the joke at least a hundred times. "Then I can check my stats from the CyberDeck now." Zoe said as if she was asking for permission. And then she thought Why am I asking for permission? and accessed the CyberDeck interface without waiting for approval.
–CyberDeck–
Stats
STR: 2
AGI: 5
INT: 11
WILL: 23
ELM: 1
Having finished examining her stats, Zoe read the numbers out loud to those around her. “I don't understand how small or how big these numbers are, but do you think it's good?” When no one spoke out, Zoe looked at the faces of those around her. All their jaws dropped. Even the dignified and unassuming Flo was dumbfounded. Zoe was surprised at this. “What? What happened?"
It was Lucy's charismatic voice that broke the silence. “I've never heard of such a high Will Stat in anyone before. I don't think there are even a handful of people with a Will stat higher than 10!”
Now it was Zoe's turn to be surprised. Realizing what an extreme stat she had, Zoe asked in surprise. “What could this mean?"