The Cyberpunk world.
November 2073.
Little China, Watson.
Inside the basement behind Misty’s Esoterica.
…
It hurt!
That was the only thought remaining in Loki’s mind.
Opening his heavy eyelids, what met his eyes was a blinding, piercing light.
“You’re finally awake.
I went to a hell of a lot of trouble to drag you back from the brink of death.”
“Who are you…?”
“Name’s Viktor.
I’m a ripperdoc.
Saw you lying injured in an alley when I was out today, so I brought you back.
Fortunately, although your injuries were severe, they weren’t entirely fatal.
Your left arm was completely crushed, your left leg was fractured, and you had three broken ribs on the left side.
We couldn’t save the left arm, so I replaced it with cyberware.
As for the other areas, if you don’t install cyberware, they should fully recover in three months at most.
Of course, if you want, I can chrome you up there too.
But I’d advise against putting too much cyberware in all at once; it places a heavy burden on the body.
Actually, I’m a bit curious where you came from.
You’re completely ‘ganic, and you’ve got real soft skin.
You don’t look like a penniless nomad, nor do you look like one of those big guys who worship raw, natural physical strength.
Maybe a pampered young master from some megacorporation family?
Quite a rarity.”
Listening to Viktor’s words, Loki’s foggy brain instantly cleared up.
He glanced at the mature man wearing sunglasses sitting next to him, then scanned the surrounding environment.
A spacious, somewhat dim basement, shelves and tables filled with all sorts of medical supplies, and electronic screens full of high-tech interfaces.
Everything around him matched the scene in his mind.
Loki realized with absolute clarity where he had ended up.
Without a doubt, he had transmigrated into the Cyberpunk universe.
*I actually came to Cyberpunk?
That truck really didn’t hold back.
Just a little nudge, and it sent me straight to Night City, even taking my left arm with it.*
*Good thing this is the Cyberpunk world, where you can swap in cyberware.
Otherwise, I’d have to live as a cripple.*
Loki thought as he tried to control his left hand.
It felt no different from the hand he was born with.
As expected of a cyberpunk world.
“Thank you, Viktor.
If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dead.”
“As for where I came from…
I’m sorry, it’s a bit complicated, and I can’t quite explain it.
It’s just that I’m completely on my own now, penniless.
I might not be able to pay you for the medical fees and the cyberware installation right away.
But I’ll definitely find a way to pay you back.
I hope you can give me some time.”
Loki quickly calmed down.
However, he had a headache because he was broke.
He had to figure out a way to make some eddies, otherwise, he couldn’t even pay off the cyberware.
Fortunately, the one who picked Loki up was Viktor Vektor—better known as Vik—one of the few ripperdocs in Night City who actually had a conscience.
He wasn’t some shady back-alley butcher, or worse, Scavengers looking to harvest his kidneys.
The former would have sold him directly to Scavs to be disassembled for organs and quick cash the moment they realized he couldn’t pay his medical bill.
The latter would have been even more direct; if Scavengers had found him, he wouldn’t even have had the chance to wake up before being chopped up on the spot.
For this, Loki felt incredibly lucky and deeply grateful to Vik.
“Don’t worry about it.
Just about everyone who comes to Night City has a past they’d rather not talk about.
Just pay me back when you have the eddies.”
“By the way, I still don’t know your name.”
“Sorry, forgot to introduce myself.
You can just call me L.”
“Actually, if you don’t mind, could you let me work as your assistant?
Or any other job.
As long as I have a place to stay and some food to eat.
You can see the state I’m in right now.
It’ll be hard to survive out there.
Even though I don’t know how to do anything yet, I’ll work hard to learn.
I hope you’ll give me a chance.”
After a brief thought, Loki decided to cling tightly to this golden thigh.
It was a rare stroke of luck to meet someone with a conscience right at the start; such people were an endangered species in Night City.
Now that his injuries hadn’t fully healed, Loki didn’t think he could accomplish much even if he went out in this state.
His best option was to stick with Vik, nurse his injuries, and see if he could work off his debt while making a bit of pocket money.
Moreover, Loki hadn’t felt any sign of a cheat system or special ability.
Without some extraordinary power, staying with Vik to live as an ordinary person might actually be the best possible outcome for someone of his small stature in a world where life was as cheap as dirt.
Hearing Loki’s words, Vik rubbed his chin, leaning his hands on his knees as he fell into thought.
Truth be told, Vik didn’t really need an assistant in his clinic.
There weren’t that many customers to begin with; he was perfectly fine on his own.
Besides, he just wanted to live a quiet, ordinary life now.
Having an extra person around would be a bit strange.
And this kid didn’t look simple.
He was clean-cut, not looking like a broke nomad who couldn’t afford chrome, yet he was thin, so he didn’t seem like one of those ‘ganic purists.
Maybe he was a fallen young master from some elite corporate family, and keeping him around might drag Vik into some corporate mess.
After a moment of silence, Loki watched Vik think, his heart in his throat.
After all, Vik had already done so much; there was no guarantee he would take him in.
Of course, if Loki knew what Vik was worried about, he would have coughed up blood.
He was as clean and innocent as they came.
Well, if one had to be technical, his background *was* pretty complicated—he was a transmigrator, after all.
“Alright, you can stay here and work as my assistant.
Food and lodging are covered, and I’ll pay you a proper wage.”
“As for whether you stay or leave after you’re healed, I won’t interfere.
But by then, you’ll have to settle your medical tab first.”
After a brief silence, Vik spoke.
For whatever reason—perhaps to see his act of kindness through to the end, or perhaps because Loki’s young, naive face made him look like he truly needed help—Vik agreed.
Either way, Loki successfully stayed at Vik’s clinic, becoming a ripperdoc’s assistant.
…
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.
November 2075.
*Before I knew it, 2076 is almost here.
The events of Edgerunners should be starting soon.
Let’s see what I can do.*
Loki thought as he carefully fitted a cybernetic eye into the socket of the customer in front of him.
Over these two years, Loki had fully integrated into and adapted to life in the Cyberpunk world.
He spent his days in Vik’s clinic, learning cyberware surgery and medical techniques.
During his off-hours, he practiced boxing with Vik and studied netrunning.
To Vik’s surprise, this young man of unknown origin was an incredibly fast learner.
Under Vik’s patient guidance and teaching, Loki had fully mastered the craft as his assistant.
His skills had earned Vik’s complete approval.
It was safe to say that Loki was now a fully qualified ripperdoc.
In the entire Watson district, Loki’s skills were second only to Vik’s.
As a result, Loki and Vik now took turns performing cyberware surgeries.
Of course, to give Loki more practice and opportunities to make money, Vik usually handed the surgeries over to him.