Chapter 9: 9th Log – No More Asian Food

Startled by the change in her CyberDeck, Zoe stepped back. She looked at her severed finger as if to apologize. But to do what she had in mind, some sacrifices had to be made. She didn't regret it. While she was thinking about these things, she got a notification from her CyberDeck. "Your Uncommon Card has been transformed". Zoe enthusiastically logged into the CyberDeck interface. Others shared her excitement. Everyone was wondering what the card had become and what Zoe was cursed with.

 

Uncommon Utility / Summon Card

 

Soul of A Yakuza

 

Powered with Agility, this card allows you to summon a Katana with a soul. You can use this Katana with your mind link in a 10-meters radius, or you can hold it in your hand and use it like a normal sword. The usage limit of this Katana is 3 hours per day.

 

Uncommon Curse

 

No More Asian Food

 

Those who are branded with this curse cannot taste Asian food anymore.

 

Everyone was leaning toward Zoe, waiting to find out what her card was. Zoe, on the other hand, was wondering if she liked Asian food in her life before. Maybe she would never find out.

 

Still keeping quiet, Zoe drove Brad mad with curiosity. “Well? Didn't you find out what the card was?!" Even though Flo, Lucy, and Dan hadn't spoken, they were happy that someone had said it.

 

Zoe stood up and walked towards a clearing. The others were watching her every move. It was only natural for them to wonder what kind of magic would come out. Zoe was prolonging the situation as if she was enjoying their anticipation. Then she thought that this much torment was enough and wanted to call her katana from the CyberDeck interface. But she encountered another notification. "Do you want to give your katana a name?" Taking her left hand into the palm of her right hand, Zoe whispered, "Pinky..."

 

A katana appeared in Zoe's hand, along with a glow. The katana, with its pink, slender hilt, looked very sharp. Zoe wanted to give Pinky a try. She made horizontal and vertical maneuvers. Unfortunately, these movements didn't feel familiar to her. I must have never used a sword before, she thought. Meanwhile, she remembered the description that said she could use the katana with her mind within a 10-meter radius. She tried to feel the sword with her mind. And indeed Pinky was there. She could feel it like a third arm. She tossed the katana into the air and Pinky hung there.

 

The crew, who initially thought it was just a weapon spell, weren't too impressed. Dan had even whispered to Brad, "Don't expect flashy spells from Uncommon cards." But when Zoe threw the sword into the air and showed that she could use it that way, everyone regained their lost enthusiasm and excitement. Lucy seemed really impressed with the card with this latest development. Flo was waiting for Zoe to finish the show and bring the katana to her to inspect.

 

Meanwhile, Zoe was trying to get the hang of Pinky more. She was testing the distance the sword could travel, trying slashing moves from different angles. She wondered about how AGI stat would boost the card, and that thought prompted her to suddenly consider speeding up Pinky. Even though she only had 5 AGI, she directly felt the difference.

 

The katana could really accelerate, change position in an agile manner, and do quick slash attacks. This katana was getting stronger with acceleration, which Zoe might have figured out on her first try, thanks to her high INT stat. Zoe decided that this was the most optimal way to use Pinky.

 

She approached the others, smiling, with Pinky flying after her, and mentally recalled the katana to her hand. Zoe had already loved the spell, and she thought it honored her sacrificed finger with the name she had given her katana. "So what do you think?" she asked, from where she stood, one step away from the crew.

 

Flo couldn't suppress the tech inside of her any longer and asked, "Can I examine it?" She reached for the katana. Feeling grandiose, Zoe handed the sword to Flo, after she made it dance a little in the air.

 

Lucy, who immediately revealed her knowledge of cards, said, “So it's a combination of Utility and Summon. Really impressive for an Uncommon card, don't take it for granted, but…” Lucy turned to Brad and Dan. “You can't go after Hadrian yet with this fledgling sword technique…” Dan seemed to want to protest but stayed silent. His respect for Lucy was bigger than his anger at Hadrian.

 

But he wasn't the only one who planned to protest. Zoe, who didn't hide her embarrassment, was angry. “What does that mean now Lucy? You can see that it's a pretty strong card. You were going to let us go even before I got this card, why are you changing your mind now?” It was the Endless Suffering in her chest that had stopped Zoe from gushing.

 

Flo, who was scrutinizing the katana and clearly not interested in the discussion, was startled by the hand that reached out to her suddenly. It was Lucy who held out her hand as if asking for the katana. Showing her moodiness as she couldn't finish her examination, Flo reluctantly handed the katana to Lucy.

 

Holding the katana in an area well below its scabbard, Lucy took a few steps out into a clearing. She clasped both hands in greeting. Flo, who had known or thought to have known her for a long time, Dan who had never seen this side of her, and Brad, who was sure that something interesting was going to happen, looked at Lucy with surprise. The dejected Zoe was indifferent to what was going on.

 

After the salute, Lucy started to show off her skills with the katana. She held the katana in one hand and wielded it gracefully. Yet, with every swing, great power could be felt. The slashes she made were very sharp. She was making noises as if she was cutting through the air. It looked like she was dancing with the katana. Then she held the katana with both hands and started showing more destructive techniques.

 

Indifferent at first, Zoe now understood what Lucy meant. She was studying her every move, trying to figure out what Lucy was doing so right. Having finished her recital, Lucy received a small applause from the crew. She handed the katana to Zoe with a smile on her face. “I meant to say you can't go after Hadrian without me teaching you at least a few techniques.” Zoe already knew what Lucy meant from the show she had just watched. With her left hand, now four-fingered, she picked up the katana.

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Seeing the four-fingered hand, it occurred to Lucy that she hadn't asked Zoe what she was cursed with. How could I have been so insensitive, she thought. Probably because of the katana, she realized. She was distracted from seeing the katana and remembering her old days. She apologized at first, asking Zoe what she was cursed with in a kind and soothing voice. After Lucy's question, the others also felt a little bad. Everyone was fascinated by the card and forgot to ask this important question. They came to Zoe and apologized.

 

A little embarrassed by the attention she received, Zoe's cheeks flushed. It felt good that people were so considerate of each other, even though they were in a hopeless place. Especially after what seemed like an eternity when she lay alone at the bottom of the Abyss and could not even think of a memory. While she was accepting the apologies and thinking about all this, an impulse inside her told her that she shouldn't show this sensitive side of her to people. Her body refused to show this tenderness. Maybe I wasn't like this in my past, thought Zoe. Standing out from the crowd, she put some distance between herself and the others. "Don't worry, it's not such a big curse." Then she read the new curse that now also appeared on the CyberDeck - Status interface:

 

“No More Asian Food

 

Those who are branded with this curse cannot taste Asian food anymore.

 

"You see? It shouldn't be too much of a nuisance."

 

Brad seemed insulted by her last sentence. "You poor soul... You're lucky you can't remember the past... You don't know what you've lost." As soon as he finished his sentence, he went and hugged Zoe. “Sushi, ramen, noodle, takoyaki…” As he counted the dishes, it could be seen that he was sad because he had not been able to taste these dishes for a long time. Brad suddenly stopped hugging, took Zoe by the hand, and promised her. “We will find a way to lift this curse. I don't know if there is a way but I will try my best. I promise."

 

In the face of this overreaction, Zoe began to wonder if she really couldn't remember something this beautiful. Realizing that she was having this hesitation, Flo came and grabbed Brad by the neck and pulled him away from Zoe. “It's not that big of a deal, Zoe. Some people don't even like Asian food! Maybe you hated it before too. Also, when you think of all the curses that you could come across, you're really lucky with this one."

 

Brad, who over-dramatized the event, said, "Lucky?" He was about to give a long speech when he was stopped by his partner Dan. Satisfied that Brad was silenced, Flo turned to Lucy and asked, "Am I wrong, Lucy? Say something too.”

 

“Flo is right, Zoe,” Lucy said firmly. It was clear that she took the subject of the curse much more seriously than the others. It was visible in both her voice and her demeanor. “Even if it was Uncommon, you could be branded with a curse that directly affected your life.”

 

It was the inability to remember her past more than the curse that depressed Zoe… Cain, she thought. She clenched her fists. She felt something strange in her left fist, and when she looked, she remembered that she had cut her pinky finger. You're the reason I cut this finger off, Cain. Then she recovered herself. I shouldn't surrender to my anger so easily. She decided to ask Lucy a question that was lingering in her mind so that the moody atmosphere would dissipate. “Hey, Lucy. What difference would it make if this card in my hand was, let's say, Rare?"

 

Lucy asked Zoe's permission first and said something to Flo. Hearing what was said, Flo got up and started to walk away. Then Lucy got straight to the point, this time without slurring. She asked Zoe to read the description of the card to her. Zoe accessed her CyberDeck and did as she was told. Indeed, the sad atmosphere had scattered, and now everyone was listening to what was being said. Lucy began to speak after listening to the card's description.

 

“If this card was at the Rare level, the buff coefficient with AGI could have increased. Although this is not the case for Common and Uncommon cards, higher-level cards can also tell how much the stat strengthens the card. It completely depends on the card. Other than that, the radius you used could have been wider, like 15 or 20 meters. And additionally, since this is a summon card, the Katana could also have its own skills. Like throwing [Flying Slash], for example.”

 

“Wow that would be really impressive,” said Zoe as she thought of Pinky throwing [Flying Slash]. Holding the katana in her hand, she examined it again. She thought about her own stats and shared another question with Lucy. “This card scales with AGI, but considering my stats, wouldn't it be better to have a card that scales with INT or WILL? I know, by the way, you haven't heard of a card that gets stronger with the WILL stat. I give it as an example because it is very high.”

 

Lucy understood what Zoe meant and spoke without much fuss. “If this card was empowered by your WILL stat, you would be a very powerful SorCyber with just one card. Your AGI stat is also average, so you can get enough efficiency from the card. But let's say you were going to buy cards from somewhere, I would recommend buying cards that are scaled by INT. Your INT stat is pretty high too.” Seeing that Zoe was lost in thought, Lucy immediately warned her. “Don't think about these! You have a good card now, and once you learn some technique, you'll be pretty strong.”

 

Hearing her words, Zoe suddenly brightened up and stopped thinking about her stats. Ever since she'd seen what Lucy did with the katana, she'd been eager to learn from her. "When do we start training?" she asked. Lucy took a look around and gestured for Zoe to have some patience.

 

What exactly are we waiting for, Zoe was thinking, just as Flo returned with a sword made of cybernetic scraps. It was a rough-looking, jagged sword. Obviously dissatisfied with her work, Flo handed it to Lucy, "I was only able to do that with what was laying around."

 

Lucy took the sword in her hand, weighed it, and tested it by swinging it a few times. “This will do. Thank you, Flo,” she said. Flo nodded, "Well whatever." She was obviously not fond of craftsmanship just enough to get the job done. Lucy laughed at Flo's dissatisfaction with her work.

 

She tried the sword a few more times and made sure that it would indeed do the job. She told Zoe to come with her and started walking. After a short walk, they came to a clearing with relatively flat ground. Closing her spider legs, Lucy instructed Zoe to do the same. Zoe, who did as she was told, then, following Lucy's inviting gesture, walked across her. Flo, Brad, and Dan sat where they thought they could watch the show best.

 

Taking the sword in her right hand, Lucy leaned forward and bowed to Zoe. Zoe tried to imitate her. Lucy then looked up and gave Zoe a sharp look. Lucy's entire aura had changed. She definitely had the look of someone ready to fight. The Araf crew, who never knew this side of her, looked at each other in astonishment.

 

Lucy took her left leg half a step back. She lifted the sword in her right hand to chest level. Her body was half turned towards Zoe. Lucy, with this brand new demeanor, asked in an unexpectedly affectionate tone from this stern-eyed person, “What do you say? Shall we begin?"

 

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