SNAPCRAFT | Ch. 59 - Error?!”#%
Added 2024-02-14 09:17:58 +0000 UTC“Today’s lesson is about the blight,” declared Seth ominously. “When Phineas Cotton created Daisy, the Earth was overpopulated and, according to Daisy’s calculations, had less than a year to reach a point of no return. She compartmentalized humanity before the Earth was permanently ruined and effected radical changes.”
Kai followed the story with interest, waiting for the twist. He had heard this part of history many times.
“The earthquakes, tornados, wildfires, and wars had governments desperate, and when she announced that she would abolish government agencies and then disarm humanity, they didn’t even blink. Phineas assured them that Daisy could not hurt humans, and they accepted the terms of surrender.”
“Surrender?”
“Yes. Surrendering the control of humanity to Daisy.”
Usually, they used the term ‘turnover.’ ‘Surrender’ sounded dreadful to Kai’s ears for some reason.
“One of Daisy’s most difficult challenges was precisely this. She was given an overpopulated planet and was prohibited from fixing the overpopulation problem, which brings us to the blight paradox.
“Although Daisy couldn’t kill humans, she found a solution that didn’t go against her programming. She created a deadly disease and also its cure. She then made the cure available to those who were worthy.”
“It can’t be… Are you saying Daisy designed the blight?” asked Ariel.
“Yes.”
“No. It can’t be.”
Old Seth stood up. “Why can Daisy cure the blight and not the common cold?” asked Seth. “She can cure the common cold but is not interested in it. That’s why! She wants us to die!”
Kai felt sick.
“If she knows the cure, why make it available only to a select few? Why hide it in the exams? How do people keep getting the blight, even if they’re isolated? I'll tell you how! She uses her cursed cybermonkeys and cyberbugs as carriers, that’s why!”
Kai thought of all his friends who had passed. He thought of his parents, Neil, Alfred, Sunny, and Clara. Was Daisy responsible for the deaths of almost everyone he knew? Was Daisy really trying to kill humanity off instead of saving it?
“Of course, this is just an old man’s conjecture,” he said, some of his dignified rage quenched. I want you today to think about this, and come back to the sunset bonfire with a formed opinion. Class dismissed.
*
It looked like [War] was similar to [Fire]. In [War]’s case, its points depended on the overall stats of cards from opposing factions. It was a card that essentially doubled the power of pirates and navy officers! He studied the card’s grade: It was only legendary, not mythic. He bit his lip until it turned white. If this was anything like [Fire], it would evolve once he got it over a certain threshold.
Kai looked over at the nearby [Mirror] card. [War] was currently at 88 victory points and six hit points. This meant it would probably evolve into its mythic version once it reached 100 points. If it were exactly like [Blue Fire], it would only evolve once it reached 200. After it became mythic, though, he could no longer copy it.
A plan was starting to form in his mind. If [War] depended on the point count of his navy and pirate cards, there was another way of going about this that would seal the deal. He took a deep breath and ran the numbers. He still had thirty minutes left on the crafting round, and the photocopier and the crafting table could run simultaneously.
He deposited [War] and a [Mirror] card on the crafting table while, at the same time, he placed [Mirror] on the [Photocopier].
[War] + [Mirror]
War | 6→5
Mirror | 2→1
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War].
You’ve exchanged [Funhouse Mirror] and [Funhouse Mirror] for [Mirror].
As Kai saw his point count climb by 80 points in one move, he couldn’t stop grinning. Even though he wasn’t counting on losing hp in [War], he was happy he could still copy it. As he went through his various pirates and marines, he found why [War] had lost one hp: [Navy Admiral]’s hp had gone down by one.
He supposed it was fair. What he was doing was a game-breaking cheat, as it was. He kept going.
[War] + [Mirror]
War | 5→4
Mirror | 1→0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War].
[War] + [Mirror]
War | 4→3
Mirror | 4→3
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War].
[War] + [Mirror]
War | 3→2
Mirror | 3→2
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War].
[War] + [Mirror]
War | 2→1
Mirror | 2→1
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War].
[War] + [Mirror]
War | 1→0
Mirror | 1→0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War].
You’ve exchanged [Mirror] and [Mirror] for [Mirror].
You’ve exchanged [Air Rifle] and [Pirate Ship Ride] for [Cotton Candy].
[Cotton Candy] + [Navy Admiral]
Cotton Candy | 4→0
Navy Lieutenant Commander | 0→3
[War] + [Mirror]
War | 3→2
Mirror | 4→3
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War].
His points were rising quickly. The plan was simple: To make as many [War] cards as possible. The only restraints he had on how many [War] cards he could print were how much time the table took to copy them, how much time was left, and how many cards he had available to use as fodder.
He sorted all his uncommon cards and sacrificed them to make six fresh [Cotton Candy] to feed his creature cards and fuel [War], always careful to maintain one unspent [Mirror] and [Cotton Candy] in reserve, which he copied as necessary.
You’ve exchanged [Acacia Leaf] and [Acacia Branch] for [Cotton Candy].
You’ve exchanged [Flint Axe] and [Acacia Trunk] for [Cotton Candy].
He only fed [Cotton Candy] when [War] reached zero. He didn’t want the card to evolve, and there was a small chance there was an hp threshold to upgrade it.
He also exchanged rare cards he had to make more [Mirror] cards.
You’ve exchanged [Giraffe Technician] and [Accuracy] for [Mirror].
You’ve exchanged [Pneumatic Rifle] and [Pneumatic Rifle] for [Mirror].
Even though many of them granted victory points, compared to the possibility of gaining one more [War] card, he preferred the latter.
He got into a groove and kept methodically placing cards in the photocopier and the crafting table, making as many copies of [War] as possible. By the time he was done, his virtual back and neck were sore, but he’d gotten 41 copies of [War]. He looked over at the scoreboard, and seeing the number, he grinned. He had more than 4000 points! Had he just broken the exams?
The crafting round was almost over. It was time to wrap this up. He had already run out of uncommon cards, so he made a copy of [Cotton Candy] using two rare cards.
You’ve exchanged [Loot] and [Loot] for [Cotton Candy].
[Navy First Officer] + [Cotton Candy]
Navy First Officer | 0→3
Cotton Candy | 4→0
He still didn’t know what [Loot] did, but it no longer mattered. He had 4000 points! He would buy all those neat upgrades in the console and steamroll his way through the rest of the exams.
The best part was that he wasn’t even done yet.
[Giraffe Technician] + [Pneumatic Sniper Rifle]
Giraffe Technician | 4→0
Pneumatic Sniper Rifle | 0→3
Crafting failed!
Thankfully, [Giraffe Technician] was able to repair the rifle! With it, he could create more navy officers to make [War] grow bigger.
[Navy First Officer] + [Pneumatic Sniper Rifle]
Navy First Officer | 3→2
Pneumatic Sniper Rifle | 3→2
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Navy Lieutenant Commander]
He checked his stack of [War] cards and laughed as he saw the numbers shift to 95. He felt as if he were printing money! “Here it goes!” he shouted, excited.
[Navy First Officer] + [Pneumatic Sniper Rifle]
Navy First Officer | 3→2
Pneumatic Sniper Rifle | 3→2
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Navy Lieutenant Commander]
With this, the victory points of all the [War] cards surpassed 100, and the stack of legendary cards began showing brilliantly. Unlike when the effect grew until it climaxed into a blinding light, the light flashed into different colors this time, with sparks and lightning bursting from the cards. The room began shaking, and there was a sharp and deep sound as if the earth was screaming. Kai’s screams joined the deafening sound as cracks spread from the table to the floors and walls. The perfect simulation became pixelated, and weird notifications appeared before Kai.
%”#!!&_)!»=|!”#$)»!#%error! !$$#”#%!”ª()
[War] has upgraded into [Armageddon].
%”#!!&_)!»=|!”#$)»!#%error! !$$#”#%!”ª()
[War] “%=)”#$! has !”340!”#$^!”=) error! [Armageddon].
“Uh?” What was going on? What was this jibber-jabber?
The scoreboard at the top of his vision also glitched as the number on his scoreboard kept climbing higher and higher until it became only zeros.
Finally, the cards stopped glowing, and the simulation stabilized. The room stopped shaking, silence returned, and the only sign of the earthquake was the cracks in the walls.
Was this happening all around the exams? Or was it just happening to him?
Was it because of his move? Kai figured he could circumvent the restriction to only have one of each mythic card if he simultaneously evolved all [War] cards. He hadn’t expected his experiment to cause this kind of bug.
“Such a clever boy,” he heard a voice say from behind him. He whirled toward the familiar voice.
“Maia?! What are you doing here?” The company droid had never appeared in the crafting stage before. “Maia, why are you…?” Kai stopped himself mid sentence.
There was something different about the android. Unlike her usual impassive expression, she now had a flustered look. “That was a very greedy move: To upgrade all legendary cards at once. Although I’ve planned for virtually every contingency, you found a loophole. Bravo, Kai.”
The tone of the android’s voice was different from usual, too. It carried more authority, and Kai had heard this intonation several times at lottery announcements and, more recently, when the exams began.
“Daisy?”
“What a mess. I can’t let you carry this many points between rounds.”
Kai followed her gaze toward the table and took note of the new cards that had caused the AI to manifest.
Armageddon (Mythic)
The war to end all wars.
Hp: ∞
Vp: 200 (Max)
It had worked. He had cheated his way into getting 41 copies of a mythic card. He didn’t know why there was no notice of a new upgrade, but perhaps [Armageddon] came without one since the card gave so many victory points. No wonder Daisy had appeared. He managed to get his hands on 8,400 points with this stunt.
Kai gulped nervously. He had studied Daisy all his life. The AI had watched his every move and breath through the spying eyes of the cybermonkeys. He knew she had been watching him and governing this simulation, but now that she had manifested herself in Maia’s body, he could see her, too.
The AI silently studied him. What was she waiting for? Was causing a bug in the simulation such a big deal?
“Why are you here, Daisy?”
“Just assessing the situation.”
Was she just here for damage control? He reviewed everything he knew about Daisy. Two iron-clad rules governed the AI: One, she couldn’t kill humans. Two, she was supposed to be fair. Taking a deep breath, he tried his luck. “Does this mean I won the exams?”
“The winner is the one that makes it through the finals,” she answered drily.
“You said it yourself. I just won thousands of points I can carry through to the finals. Will you not fix this bug?”
“I must. It’s unfair to let it be like this.”
“And would it be fair if I didn’t win after I thought of something you didn’t?”
&!$?=%)!error!!”#=)!”$)=
“I thought you were supposed to reward logic and creativity, Daisy. What greater proof is there of these two traits than doing what I just did?” he pressed.
!”#$?!”%&?=error!!”#%!#%”
“Clever boy. Clever, clever boy,” she repeated.
“Was that the only reason why you came? To compliment me?”
She didn’t respond to Kai’s provocation. Kai wondered how she would deal with the contradictions in her programming. On the one hand, she was supposed to be fair. Changing the exam rules midway through them would go against her nature. On the other hand, Kai had just broken the game and found a way to circumvent one of her restrictions.
“The bug is fixed. I trust that my solution will be fair to everyone.”
And she was gone.
Kai regretted not having asked many of the questions he had for her. Was she the one who created the blight? Was she planning to take over the minds of humans? Was there any hope for humanity? But before he could, she had already faded back into zeros and ones.
Looking over at his pile of [Armageddon] cards, he frowned. What kind of solution had she come up with? A horn sounded throughout the room, signaling the end of the round.
Congratulations! You’ve earned 8667 points.
The following cards will now be destroyed: [Cotton Candy]; [Clown]; [Funfair]; [Infinity]; [Pneumatic Sniper Rifle]; [Razor Clam]; [Treasure]; 2x[Unicorn].
[Navy Headquarters] protects the following cards from being destroyed: [Navy Seaman], 2x[Navy First Officer], 2x[Navy Lieutenant Commander]; [Navy Admiral].
[Pirate’s Den] protects the following cards from being destroyed: [Pirate]; [Buccaneer]; [Brawny Pirate]; [Pirate Commodore].
Seeing the two unicorns being destroyed, he clicked his tongue. Daisy hadn’t even given him enough time to put his two [Unicorn] cards in the fridge! Was that petty payback for his bold play?
Looking at his point count, he shrugged. It didn’t matter. He had more than enough points now. What difference would thirty points make? The small number of cards up for destruction this round just went to show how he had squeezed every single point from them. Most of them had already been obliterated, offered as sacrifices to the photocopier.
All cards lose 1hp.
2x Child (Common)
Young human being in the early stages of life, characterized by growth and curiosity.
Hp: 1→0
Vp: 0
Pine Tree (Common)
Coniferous green that produces needles and pinecones.
Hp: 2→1
Vp: 1
Thorn (Common)
A sharp-pointing defensive adaptation that keeps enemies away.
Hp: 1→0
Vp: 2
Crabken (Legendary)
A mighty sea monster. Its pincers can shatter continents, and its shell deflect cannon blasts.
Hp: 1→0
Vp: 20
2x Illuminating Adult (Legendary)
A human who has been forged in the fires of wisdom and love.
Hp: 1→0
Vp: 20
2x Light (Legendary)
A form of electromagnetic radiation that stimulates the sense of vision.
Hp: ∞→∞
Vp: 2
Mega Scrapdroid (Mythic)
A scrapdroid that has fed on so much technology that it has transcended into the realm of sentience.
Hp: ∞→∞
Vp: 40 (Max)
Super Illuminator (Mythic)
A superhero who fights evil, dazzling the world of crime.
Hp: ∞→∞
Vp: 40 (Max)
Guarded City of Atlantis (Mythic)
A legendary city that has been raised. It shall never sink again, for it is guarded by a legendary beast.
Hp: ∞→∞
Vp: 40 (Max)
Red Star (Mythic)
A powerful, nuclear ball of fire.
Hp: ∞→∞
Vp: 0 (Max)
One-Horned Jaguar (Mythic)
A phenomenal hunter that can pierce any shield with its horn and fool any eye with its camouflage.
Hp: ∞→∞
Vp: 40 (Max)
41x Armageddon (Mythic) !”$)= error!
The war to end all wars.
Hp: ∞→∞
Vp: 200 (Max)
Seeing that the stats of [Armageddon] hadn’t changed and that he could keep it for the next round, he stood confused. Was she just going to let him go through to the next rounds, having an overwhelming advantage over his opponents? Or would she sabotage Kais’ cheat collection of mythic cards?
Congratulations! You’re among the eight tokens who passed through to the next round.
He was stunned. She had allowed him to go through. She had let him stay!
You have 144 hours and 27 minutes to select your upgrades and rest.
[Loot] has upgraded into [Rum Barrel].
[Loot] has upgraded into [Dobloon].
[Loot] has upgraded into [Rum Barrel].
[Loot] has upgraded into [Dobloon].
[Loot] has upgraded into [Sword].
[Loot] has upgraded into [Sword].
Kai was too stunned to consider what the [Loot] card did. “What? 144 hours? But that’s six days!” Was Daisy going to keep him in solitary confinement for a week? He was going to go nuts in here! The worst part was that he would have to wait one week each time he finished a round. Clenching his teeth, he marched toward the console. Daisy had somehow managed to suck all the joy from his resounding victory.
Praying there was some upgrade that allowed him not to stay trapped in this simulation, he opened the console. As he scrolled through all the listings he found Daisy’s solution.
Victor’s Trophy
Requirements: 41x [Armageddon]
Description:
Win [Birth Hormones]; [Allcure]; [A-Grade Rations]; [A-Grade Medicine] for 100% of your sector’s population;
100x [Exile Host Tickets] to bring to your sector;
By purchasing this, you forfeit the exams.
Cost: 8500uc
The odd, exact numbers and the upgrade description told Kai that Daisy had introduced this upgrade exclusively for Kai. With this, he wouldn’t win the exams but would still be rewarded for his creativity and logic. It was a neat solution that allowed Daisy not to violate her programming parameters while being fair to Kai and the other participants.
Just as he was about to click the option, he stopped himself. It felt wrong to give up like this. Should he just continue playing? Did it matter if he came in first place or eighth?
He took the scene around him. He had spent many hours in this simulation and experienced some of his strongest emotions. He had given his all and had forcefully stolen the rewards he and his family needed from Daisy’s claws.
He missed Ariel. There was no sense in staying just to prove a point to the AI. He would accept her deal and save her some face. All that mattered now was to save his family.
Are you sure you want to purchase [Victor’s Trophy]? [Y/N]
“Yes.”
Kai’s vision went white, and his figure was transported away from the virtual space of the exams.
