[Destiny Coins +1 (Lucyna Kushinada)]
Ryu nodded with satisfaction, glanced at Lucy's peaceful and reassuring sleeping face, then leisurely sat down at the other end of the sofa and stretched broadly.
The method of earning Destiny Coins in Cyberpunk was quite different from that of the main world.
Because destiny possesses a converging nature, the more central a protagonist is, the harder it is for them to deviate from their original track. Back home, he needed to perform some "decisive" events to truly alter a character's life and harvest those few coins.
For instance, if he were to directly blow up SAO, the destiny of those victims who spent two and a half years as vegetables due to the death game would naturally be drastically changed.
But Cyberpunk was rather special. Perhaps because the original game had multiple endings and a high degree of freedom (chaos), or maybe because the residents of Night City inherently possessed strong subjective initiative.
In short, Ryu felt that the force of destiny here was very "divergent," and acquiring Destiny Coins had a great deal of randomness.
Like now, just letting Lucy experience a [Braindance] had slightly altered her destiny.
Or for example, when Ryu first arrived and got to know Maine through Gloria. At that time, Lucy hadn't even joined the Cyberpunk crew yet, and Ryu had thought he wouldn't be able to find the "heroine" and grind for Destiny Coins.
He had simply commissioned Maine's squad through a fixer to build a relationship, issuing a few profitable small tasks—essentially using money to farm reputation... and somehow, he inexplicably earned a Destiny Coin!
He didn't even know that cat-like girl named "Sasha" at the time; heaven knows how he changed her destiny!
In any case, this is Night City: chaotic and unpredictable~
...Having been awake for a while, Lucy was still deeply moved.
Usually tough and uninhibited, she rarely became this quiet. She curled up in the corner of the sofa hugging her legs, her head tilted as if recalling something, unable to let go of the feeling for a long time.
It was likely not just the magnificent sights she saw in the [Braindance], but also that she was infected by those emotions that touched the soul, reminding her of past events buried deep in her heart.
Ryu didn't strike up a conversation, nor did he get up to see her out. Seeing she was fine, he threw himself back into work and started making the next memory shard.
Lucy stared blankly at his every move. If not for the occasional movement of her eyes, she would look exactly like an aesthetic wallpaper in a decadent style.
Only when Ryu's work came to a temporary pause did Lucy raise her head. Her lips parted slightly then closed again, until she finally seemed to settle on a random topic.
"So skilled... exactly how many [Braindances] have you made?"
"Me?" Ryu glanced back. "To be honest, I'm actually a novice. I spent a month just learning the tech. Including practice runs, I've only done it for real three or four times."
"Liar~"
Lucy obviously didn't believe him, a faint smile appearing on her face. "A novice couldn't get their hands on material like this, nor would their technique be so superb... If you don't want to say, forget it."
"Heh, think what you want." Having just received a Destiny Coin, Ryu was very amiable towards Lucy, who had provided the reward.
He wasn't lying; he truly was a novice who had been in the trade for less than a month. But Lucy wasn't wrong either; setting aside practical experience, Ryu was already at a first-rate level as a Braindance Editor.
And this came from the gift of a System Card—
[System Card: Random]
[Current Theme: Cyberpsychosis]
—That wasn't refreshed in the main world, but a special System Card that appeared after arriving in Night City. The theme and the instance fit perfectly!
At the time, the main world's System Card hadn't expired yet, and Ryu could pick talents from this special card as well, enjoying two sets of buff benefits simultaneously. He was happy beyond measure~
He simply thought the main world and the instance world were independent of each other, each refreshing a System Card every month, so he was quite excited, thinking he had found a brilliant trick for rapid leveling.
However, after he spent the first cycle in the otherworld and the special System Card disappeared, he came back a second and third time, but no matter how long he stayed, no extra System Card ever appeared again!
Only then did he realize that System Cards in instance worlds don't refresh like in the main world; they only appear once. If you miss it, it's gone forever!
—He regretted it to death!
Although that card didn't actually have any talents he absolutely needed (most were related to cyberware modification)—otherwise he wouldn't have bought none of them—the mere thought that it was now out of print made him unable to stop regretting.
Perhaps this is the bitter fruit of trying to be a freeloader...
The skills of a Ripperdoc and Braindance Editor were all accumulated during that first cycle. Aside from that, there were also introductory Netrunner skills (though without a neural link or cyberbrain, the efficiency was atrociously low). At least it wasn't a total loss.
"What time is it?"
A rainbow light shimmered faintly in Lucy's prosthetic eyes. The girl sighed softly, pressed down with both hands, and stood up from the sofa.
"The quest item has been delivered. Since there's nothing else, I'll get going... Um, Doctor?"
"What is it?"
"Thank you."
Lucy turned sideways, one hand on her waist. Illuminated by the red and blue lights, she looked just like a model at a fashion gala. As her silver hair swayed, her face revealed a rare gentleness.
"I had fun today... It's your win."
"Eh?"
Ryu took off his 3D glasses, but before he could ask what he had won, Lucy had already opened the door and walked out.
"What a hasty temper. At least pass on my regards to Sasha."
The young man twitched his lips, focused his attention, and threw himself back into his work.
From Lucy's various reactions, it was clear that this [Braindance] was indeed good stuff, absolutely capable of moving the hearts of most people. If Ryu had ambition, perhaps he could use this to open up the market and make a killing.
However, Ryu wasn't lacking money. Moreover, Night City was a wicked and depraved place. For some who wanted to escape reality, the temptation of [Braindance] was no less than that of contraband substances. What if he ended up breeding a batch of "cyber-junkies"?
Ryu didn't consider himself a person of high moral character, but he was still very repulsed by such things.
That being said, [Braindance] was still very useful!
With such excellent effects, it could completely be kept as a card in hand. Once a situation arose where it could be used, it would be an unexpected surprise force!
Thinking deeper, if this technology matured, one could completely select specific scenes and emotions to give psychological suggestions to the user.
If NERvGear were promoted on a large scale in the main world to the point where everyone had one, couldn't Ryu influence the emotions and mental states of all humanity by implanting [Braindance]?
Taken to the extreme, that's brainwashing...
Of course, Ryu wasn't such an ambitious person. Many of the cards he held now were prepared to deal with future disasters, including this one.
Just imagine, if when the deep-sea nautilus surfaced, the emotions of all humanity were mobilized—everyone turning towards the light, brave and fearless, united as one—and the big snail opened its eyes only to see a Tiga shimmering all over with golden light—
Just thinking about it is thrilling!
Although the pyramid hadn't been found yet, and maybe that "Land of Tiga" hadn't even spawned, and in the most extreme case, no Ultraman might appear at all in the end... In any case, do one's best and leave the rest to fate. There's nothing wrong with making more preparations!
After going back, he would start a [Braindance] company. For the symbol, he'd choose something everyone liked, something that could evoke thoughts of freedom and hope: the azure blue sky—
Let's call it "Blue Dream Group"!
...
Walking out of the clinic and arriving at the boundary line between sunlight and shadow, Lucy's mind was somewhat in a trance. She didn't leave immediately, but took two steps back to lean against the wall, fishing a cigarette from her pocket.
Just as she lit it, Lucy's gaze focused. Watching the tobacco slowly ignite, she suddenly threw the cigarette down and stomped it out.
"I lost, huh..."
By the time she left, a half-full pack of ladies' cigarettes had appeared at the feet of a homeless man by the roadside.
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