Riku returned to his apartment and immediately summoned Ei-rō.
The shadow at his feet leaped out, quickly taking the form of a wolf. Ei-rō wasn't small—about the size of a tiger.
Riku stared at the wolf, trying to figure out what made it tick. He'd studied this Kekkijutsu yesterday, but so far, its only ability was transforming his shadow into a wolf. Nothing else.
Today, though, when Ei-rō killed someone, it seemed to unlock something new. Similar to how Riku gained experience points from kills to grow stronger, Ei-rō's kill seemed to grant it experience too.
"Wonder if it has to be a human kill…"
Riku mused. Testing that in Night City would be tough—animals were scarce here.
It wasn't just Night City, either. In this timeline, the collapse of natural ecosystems had wiped out most animals. Only the ones best adapted to cities and humans survived.
Night City had animals—cats, dogs—but they were more like living luxury goods, status symbols.
Owning a pet in Night City meant paying taxes, monthly, and registering them. Unregistered animals? The fines could bankrupt most families.
Killing an animal here was harder than killing a person. A hundred human lives might not even match the value of a single dog.
"Guess I really need to head back."
While thinking, Riku opened the system's [World Page].
[World Page]
[Past World: Demon Slayer]
[Current World: Cyberpunk 2077]
[Travel: Cooldown complete. Start Travel. Return to Past.]
This time, after the travel function's cooldown ended, a new button appeared next to [Start Travel]: [Return to Past]. Its purpose was obvious.
Clicking [Return to Past] showed only one option: Demon Slayer.
Riku didn't leave right away. If he was going, he'd need to tell his teammates first. The trip would take at least two days.
Plus, he had to prepare some things.
With that in mind, Riku headed out. It was still evening—plenty of time to shop.
He had 2,000 eddies. Not enough for big purchases, but more than enough for what he needed.
At a clothing store in Watson, Riku walked in. The shopkeeper, armed with a rifle around his neck, was clearly not someone to mess with. Zero-dollar shopping here? You'd have to get past his gun first.
Under the shopkeeper's wary gaze, Riku casually picked out what he needed: gloves, earmuffs, sunglasses, and a pack of masks to cover his mouth and nose.
After paying, he hit up a general store and bought a parasol.
Back at his apartment with his full gear, Riku was ready for his return to Demon Slayer.
Standing in front of the mirror, he put on the gear and activated the optical camouflage on his horns. The devilish, prismatic horns vanished.
"Perfect. Now I can move around during the day."
Riku nodded, satisfied with his reflection. He looked normal enough, and sunlight wouldn't be an issue.
"Especially since it's winter over there. This warm gear won't stand out at all."
Riku had thought it through. The gloves, earmuffs, and masks were all insulated—not just for style but to ensure no light leaked through.
With everything ready, he called V to let her and Jack Welles know. He didn't plan to stay long—just a quick trip to scope things out.
Though Demon Slayer was his first world, he still knew so little about it. Better to play it safe.
"Riku? I was just about to call you."
V picked up quickly, sounding like she was having a blast.
"What's up?" Riku asked, surprised. They'd only just parted ways—why the call?
"Mann says he's introducing us to their hacker. Come meet them!"
V replied. She and Jack had run into Mann's crew. Typical edgerunners, always hanging out at bars.
Probably like temp workers chilling at a pickup spot, waiting for gigs.
"Alright, I'm on my way."
Riku chuckled to himself, then headed out, walking to Afterlife.
He was curious about this hacker, and it'd be a good chance to tell V and Jack about his short trip.
Soon, Riku arrived at Afterlife. Sure enough, V and Jack were with Mann's crew.
Besides Sasha, Rebecca, Dorio, and Mann, their resident clown, Pilar, was there too.
Pilar's black mohawk and freakishly long arms stood out.
"Riku, you're here!"
Sasha's eyes lit up as she greeted him warmly.
"Hey, Sasha. Don't tell me this is the hacker you're introducing?"
Riku grinned, playfully pointing at Pilar, who'd just finished goofing off.
"Nope, that's my idiot brother, Pilar."
Rebecca cut in before Pilar could speak, introducing him with a smirk.
"That's right! I'm Pilar, Night City's top tech wizard. No job these hands can't handle."
Pilar boasted, his fingers dancing with a dexterity that could rival Eagle-chan.
His oversized hand cyberware and long fingers screamed "techie." A tech wizard, in simpler terms, was a DIY master.
Anything a ripperdoc could do, a tech wizard could. Even stuff ripperdocs couldn't touch—like weapon and cyberware installation, repairs, mods, turning scrap into treasure, or defusing bombs in a pinch—Pilar could handle.
If ripperdocs were professional tech priests, tech wizards were like feral orc mechanics.
"Nice to meet you, Pilar. Call me Devil."
Riku extended a hand. He was genuinely intrigued by Pilar's skills—purely for the tech, of course.
Learning a tech wizard's tricks could save a lot of hassle.
"Got it, Devil. I'll remember that."
Pilar shook his hand, his gaze lingering on Riku's horns.
"Are those mechanical?"
Pilar asked bluntly, reaching to touch them.
Smack.
Riku swatted his hand away, exasperated. This guy—Pilar's death in the source material made sense now. Zero boundaries.