I don’t know how much time has passed since I fell into this world.
I mean, there’s no accurate watch, and I’m too busy just trying to survive that counting the days is hard.
I just vaguely think a few years have gone by.
“Life, huh.”
They say you can’t predict what will happen to people.
I never imagined I’d fall into a Cyberpunk game world.
All I’ve gained during this time is a few swear words.
If only the location had been different.
The place I fell into, ‘Landfill,’ barely even made a blip in the game as a location.
There wasn’t much profit to be gained from the information I’d known.
I got up from my squat.
Despite my young age, maybe because of my garbage-like attributes, there’s already a cracking sound from my joints.
I lifted my head to see beyond the heaps of trash.
A massive ‘City Barrier’ loomed large, piercing through the gray clouds, filling my view.
It blocks the vast world firmly.
A faint beam of light peeks out above.
That’s the background of the game I played.
Neon City is right over there.
Close yet so far.
Seriously.
“…How did I end up like this?”
And just then, I heard a blonde girl squatting next to me grumbling at my muttering.
“Hey, shut your yap and start scavenging for trash. The patrol drones will be flying around soon.”
Hmm.
Her tone reminded me of the “Hey, Mr. Kim!” from my hometown on the internet.
I sat back down at her words.
“Oh, look at this.”
The girl found something amidst the junk pile, pulling out something from the completely unsorted garbage.
Whoa, this crazy girl.
“Gyeomjok, Gyeomjok. Put that gun down.”
It was a pistol.
“…Didn’t I tell you not to call me that? And who cares, it’s broken anyway—.”
– Bang!!
““…….””
It must have been a pretty old item.
Smoke from the gunpowder wafted from the muzzle.
The bullet flew up into the sky with no target in sight. Fortunately, no one got hurt.
“…Didn’t I say to put it down?”
“Uh, sorry.”
The real problem was the ‘things’ that would come flying after hearing that gunshot.
[Organic matter detected.]
They’ve already arrived.
I looked up at the voice coming from the air.
I faced the red lens of a corporate-operated ‘Killer Drone.’ A massive harpoon, as large as the drone’s body, was aimed at us.
“Run!!”
We raced through the heaps of trash as if we were tumbling.
—
I gasped for breath.
Breath surged up to my throat, pounding against my lungs.
With my naturally weak stamina, it took quite a while before I could breathe normally.
“Huuh…….”
I calmed myself and finished a deep breath.
I waited for my tense muscles to relax.
It felt so clear and comfortable here, as though I were breathing the air at the mountain’s peak, unlike the usual rank smell of sewage that could make me gag.
I almost bit the dust for real.
It still had a while until sunset.
It seemed we’d have to call it a day with the scavenging work.
I turned my gaze to Gyeomjok.
Maybe she felt the same way, because her golden eyes were looking up at me.
She really has good stamina.
Even while I was panting, Gyeomjok only took a brief breath and showed no signs of fatigue.
In her hands was the gun that led to all this trouble.
“…Why are you still holding that?”
“I couldn’t just leave it behind.”
“……”
Seriously.
I didn’t give her the nickname for nothing.
No matter how much she denies it.
There’s no nickname better suited for her than this.
Actually, it was originally a different nickname.
Once I started calling her ‘Gyeomjok,’ everyone except a few started calling the girl ‘Gyeomjok’ too.
Maybe because the value of life is a bit lacking here in this landfill compared to other places.
People often prefer nicknames over real names.
By the way, my nickname is what Gyeomjok called me earlier—‘Wimp.’
…What the heck is ‘Wimp?’
It’s a name she personally gave me because of my garbage-like stamina.
“Let’s go see Four Eyes; we’re done working for the day anyway.”
The ‘work’ I mentioned refers to our scavenging through trash that we had been doing until now.
Given the location, there isn’t much we can do as kids.
We sift through garbage.
Look for decent items.
Recycle (sell) them.
That’s our basic routine.
Gyeomjok raised the pistol.
“With this, we should have enough food for both of us, right?”
“Who knows?”
This place has a really sensitive supply-and-demand situation.
If someone needs a pistol, sure, it could sell for a steep price, but if there’s someone in need of a pistol in a small gathering like this, that’s itself a problem.
“Let’s assess the situation first.”
“You worry too much.”
I’m not the one who worries too much.
You’re the one who has no worries, Gyeomjok.
I swallowed back my retort.
Since the pistol belonged to Gyeomjok, it was better not to provoke her temper if I wanted to drink even a drop more water.
We moved along the path of sewage.
The unpleasant, hot air wafted toward us. Plus, the nauseating smell pricked my nostrils.
This place where I once said I’d never go down again after falling into this world felt this way—adaptation is the animal instinct, huh?
Now, it felt as comfortable as my own home.
As we walked toward the direction of the ‘village,’ the number of people we saw increased.
Some sat in corners wrapped in rags.
Some laughed and chatted in groups—ordinary everyday scenery.
In the end, this place is where people live.
A natural vibrancy can be felt.
“Wimp!”
(I didn’t like it, but) I looked up at the person calling me.
A few kids around my age were running over here.
They looked about 15 years old.
But in a place where many kids go hungry, it’s hard to judge age just by size.
They’re those who are taken care of by the person I respect the most in this village.
‘Four Eyes.’
Nana and Gyeomjok have also been under the care of ‘Four Eyes’ before; thus, we’ve seen each other’s faces a few times.
Maybe due to pollutants.
Or perhaps because they underwent a botched cyberware surgery by the village quack.
The kid at the front calling my nickname was in a state that was anything but normal, even by my standards after living in Cyberpunk for years.
One side of his mouth was drooling.
His left mechanical eye, which seemed to be cyberware, wasn’t even looking this way.
He must have nerve issues, hence, finding treatment in a junkyard would be impossible.
Does he even know the sympathetic look I’m giving him?
That kid, ‘Teddy,’ closely approached me and spoke.
“Hey, looks like you found something good. You’re coming down faster than usual today!”
Why is he suddenly acting friendly?
I almost retorted reflexively.
But my remaining morality was still alive, so I chose to respond as gently as I could.
“Found something? More like almost got killed by a drone.”
That was a gentle reply.
“Hahaha, you say that every time.”
Well, that’s because I’m always in danger.
It’s a given.
I frowned slightly.
Why is Teddy acting all buddy-buddy today when he typically comes at me for being weak while sticking to Gyeomjok.
……
Well, they say kids change in a day.
Maybe something had changed in his heart overnight that I didn’t know—.
“Hey, stop.”
At Gyeomjok’s command, I halted.
Though Gyeomjok had caused the ruckus with the pistol, she had spent much more time living in this world than I had.
When I first came to this world.
She was like my benefactor who helped me.
That was an instinctive reaction.
But…
The ‘stop’ that Gyeomjok said was not directed at me, but at Teddy, who was close in front of me.
“Show me your right hand.”
“Uh? Why all of a sudden, Your Highness?”
Teddy replied with a cheeky tone.
Your Highness.
That was a nickname I had before I came up with Gyeomjok.
Then, Gyeomjok aimed the pistol she picked up at Teddy’s forehead.
Whoa, Gyeomjok is going to create another mess.
I tried to stop her, but Teddy, with the gun aimed at his forehead, spoke faster.
“Okay, okay, I got it. I’ll give it back.”
“Give what?”
Without answering my question, Teddy handed over a worn-out pouch he had been holding to me.
Damn, that’s.
It’s the pouch containing the credit chips I had saved.
I instinctively checked my back pocket.
Whoa, I almost caught a nasty blow to the back of my head without even realizing it.
My pocket was empty.
Even in a landfill where bartering is fundamental.
Not being able to use the basic currency, the credit chip, is not an option.
I had been saving every penny, waiting for the day I could escape this place, and now I was on the verge of losing it all in one sweep.
In an instant, anger flared up in my head.
I don’t think Teddy noticed my reaction.
He only looked at Gyeomjok and said,
“I don’t know what debt you owe Wimp to be giving away so much. You might regret it, Your Highness.”
“Shut up and get lost. I’m not shooting because I feel bad for Four Eyes.”
Teddy shrugged and said this to his peers around him.
“…Let’s go.”
He must have been a bit prideful.
He clicked his tongue shortly and disappeared somewhere.
After they completely vanished, Gyeomjok smoothly tucked the pistol back into her pocket.
…If someone saw this, they’d think she was good at shooting.
I genuinely thanked Gyeomjok.
“…That was close, thanks. Should I start calling you Your Highness from now on?”
“…The nickname Gyeomjok isn’t great either, but it’s better than Your Highness.”
“Our Gyeomjok has really become a person.”
“Do you want to die?”
We exchanged lighthearted banter.
Then we walked further inside.
Anyway.
That’s what this world was like.
—
“By the way, that nickname ‘Teddy’ came from the kid being treated like a toy by the quack. It’s named after the teddy bear. Maybe due to the errors in his nerve system, he really had no charm.”
Catherine explained, revealing some TMI while telling stories from the past.
Eve, who had been silently listening, raised her palm slightly.
“Is that ‘Teddy’ still alive?”
“Ah, no spoilers.”
Catherine replied playfully.
Her storytelling talent was more than I expected.
…Hmm.
But why was Eve so curious about that?
What would she do if Teddy were alive—?
“……”
Anyway, the stories about the past continued.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.