I Became the Dystopia’s Swordsman – Episode 001
Prologue
Familiar text appears before my eyes.
[Condition Achieved]
[Difficulty: Legend]
[Ending: Annihilation]
[Playtime: 127:35:27]
A sigh escapes my lips a beat later.
“Cut…”
A combination of letters I’ve seen countless times.
But this time, the feeling is different.
Because the difficulty is different.
The highest difficulty—Legend.
An endgame content deemed impossible to clear, still talked about in the half-dead community.
“I actually beat it.”
Before the lingering excitement fades, I take a screenshot first.
A small habit of mine.
Meticulously collecting trophies.
“Haa…”
The moment after taking the screenshot, I blankly stare at the screen.
How much time has passed?
A sense of regret washes over me.
“Hmm…”
This is the last difficulty cleared, yet there isn’t even an ending credit?
The screen, no different from other difficulties, leaves me feeling strangely empty.
‘Apocalypse City… I’ve already poured seven years into this place.’
The end of a game I’d been playing out of habit at some point.
Gradually, the subtle emotions fade, replaced by a bitter aftertaste.
‘Maybe it’s time to quit.’
My thoughts drift unnecessarily deep.
But then—
Ding!
“?”
[Continue: Y / N]
What’s this?
A system message I’ve never seen before pops up.
In a game where the playthrough ends the moment the in-game character dies, this kind of message shouldn’t exist.
What is this?
I’m a little flustered.
But there’s no hesitation in clicking—a simple decision.
Out of habit, the mouse cursor moves toward ‘Y.’
And then—
Ding!
[Achievement Completion: 100%]
[100% Achievement Reward: Additional Trait Points]
[100% Achievement Reward: All Traits Unlocked]
“There was an Easter egg like this?”
A message stating all traits have been unlocked.
Next, the trait selection screen opens.
Wait, were there still traits left to unlock?
A strange excitement envelops me.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt this kind of anticipation.
‘It’s pretty late, but…’
In a short time, I skim through countless traits.
Traits—special characteristics.
While there aren’t any ridiculously broken traits that would ruin the game’s balance…
The direction of the game definitely changes depending on how you combine them.
Even before scrolling down, I notice something different.
[Trait Points: 50pt]
Additional trait points.
A whopping 50 points.
“Whoa.”
Considering the easiest difficulty only gives 15 points, this is at least three times more.
Insane.
I scroll down to check the newly added traits.
Scroll—scroll—
How many times did I roll the wheel?
“Huh?”
I have to take back what I said earlier.
This could definitely break the game’s balance.
[Legendary Swordsmanship Talent: -50pt]
A tragic genius born in the wrong era.
Grants overwhelming talent with all bladed weapons.
Activates hyper-awareness when using bladed weapons.
[Legendary Marksmanship Talent: -50pt]
A fortunate genius born in the right era.
Grants overwhelming talent with all firearms.
Activates hyper-awareness when using firearms.
[Humanity’s Strongest Weapon: -50pt]
Possesses the most exceptional physique in human history.
All physical stats start at maximum.
The upper limit of stats is increased.
Three traits in total.
Astonishment mixes with admiration.
In hundreds, if not thousands of playthroughs, I’ve never seen these before.
“Overwhelming talent” is hard to grasp, but… hyper-awareness?
And “Humanity’s Strongest Weapon” starts with maxed physical stats, plus an increased upper limit?
Even stacking three or four other traits wouldn’t come close.
This is just…
‘I can’t pass this up without trying.’
No need to overthink.
My eyes dart to the trait points.
Available points: 50pt.
But each of these new, game-breaking traits costs exactly -50pt.
It’s set up so you can only pick one.
‘Only one?’
No, that’s not happening.
I can just increase the points.
Like a pathological habit, my mind already starts crafting the optimal build.
If I combine Legendary Marksmanship with a few others, then surely…
The mouse cursor hesitates for a moment.
“Hmm…”
Legendary Marksmanship?
That’s just the best combo for clearing the game.
But the exclamation mark floating in my mind rejects that idea.
Instead, my thoughts rapidly assemble something else.
“With this, other builds should work too.”
A brief moment of hesitation.
“Well, maybe I’ll just set it up for now.”
Yeah, just setting it up…
First, I scroll down to the negative traits.
Negative traits are debuffs.
Selecting them adds bonus trait points in exchange for penalties.
To grab those top-tier traits, I need more points first.
[Firearm Phobia (Warning): +22pt]
Suffers from a phobia of firearms.
Equipping firearms induces panic.
[Implant Incompatibility (Warning): +17pt]
The body rejects implants.
Cannot modify the body with implants.
[Damaged Immune System (Warning): +10pt]
The body’s immune system is compromised.
Greatly increased chance of illness.
Greatly increased chance of turning into an infected when exposed to mutants.
[Dyslexia (Warning): +11pt]
Unable to read text.
Cannot engage in learning or reasoning.
Severely impacts gameplay.
[High Metabolism: +4pt]
Excessively high metabolic rate.
Easily becomes hungry.
Requires more food for survival.
[Poor Eyesight: +2pt]
Low vision.
Decreased firearm accuracy.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
Selected.
“Will this be enough?”
[Owned Traits]
[Trait Points: 116pt]
I can’t deny it.
This isn’t a build for clearing the game.
This is a game where firearms dominate.
Melee weapons are undeniably useful, but…
Clearing the game with only melee weapons is borderline impossible.
And yet, I’ve sacrificed so much for these traits.
The rational choice would be to take “Legendary Marksmanship,” use the bonus points for other useful traits, and call it a day.
But my emotions rejected that.
This isn’t about clearing—it’s about pure enjoyment.
[Legendary Swordsmanship Talent: -50pt]
A tragic genius born in the wrong era.
Grants overwhelming talent with all bladed weapons.
Activates hyper-awareness when using bladed weapons.
Selected.
[Humanity’s Strongest Weapon: -50pt]
Possesses the most exceptional physique in human history.
All physical stats start at maximum.
The upper limit of stats is increased.
Selected.
I scroll back up to check the remaining points.
[Trait Points: 16pt]
16pt.
The final piece of the puzzle was already decided.
[Mechanical Cardio: -15pt]
Rarely tires.
To others, you may seem like a machine.
“This is it.”
Mechanical Cardio.
As straightforward as the description suggests.
In-game, there’s a stat called Stamina.
This is why firearms are the primary weapons.
Every action consumes stamina, and if it drops too low, movement slows or you collapse from exhaustion.
This trait boosts stamina to absurd levels.
With this wall slightly broken and two other game-breaking traits…
Maybe I can finally try the playstyle I’ve always wanted.
A bizarre build that completely excludes firearms.
“Swordsman build… complete.”
Remaining bonus points: 1.
“Hmm.”
An awkward leftover.
‘Should I boost driving skills?’
As I think that, I scroll up again—and spot something I missed.
[■■: -1pt]
A 1-point trait with garbled text.
‘Is this a bug…?’
Probably an unimplemented trait.
But if it’s a positive trait, it might help.
This isn’t a hardcore run anyway—if something goes wrong, it’ll just be a memory.
Selection complete.
And then—
“Huu…”
I take a deep breath and glance at the ceiling.
A faint fatigue washes over me.
“What time is it…?”
The clock reads 4 AM.
Dawn is near.
A brief moment of hesitation.
The fatigue from clearing the highest difficulty is already heavy.
But the hesitation doesn’t last.
The compromise of “just setting it up” was erased from my mind long ago.
“Just this once.”
The words slip out like a magical incantation, laced with reluctance.
“Really, just this once.”
But it’s close to the truth.
Having cleared the highest difficulty, I do plan to quit.
Real-life responsibilities make it hard to keep pouring my twenties into this game.
“One last time.”
I enter a name.
[Name: Kyle Han]
The same name as always.
At some point, I’d stubbornly stuck to this one.
With the name set, the cursor moves to the play button.
I click.
Click.
Fzzzt—
The moment I press it, my train of thought cuts off.
My vision goes dark.
Ding.
[Survive the Inevitable Destruction.]
[Difficulty: Final (LAST)]
[Name: Kyle Han]
[Legendary Swordsmanship Talent], [Humanity’s Strongest Weapon], [Mechanical Cardio], [■■]
[Firearm Phobia (Warning)], [Implant Incompatibility (Warning)], [Damaged Immune System (Warning)], [Dyslexia (Warning)], [High Metabolism], [Poor Eyesight]
Stress Level: 0 –
Cold sweat trickles down my back.
I wish it were a dream, but it’s not.
Every sensation is too vivid for that.
“……”
Through blurred vision, I see a familiar cityscape.
A street filled with dazzling holograms between impossibly tall buildings.
If I’m not mistaken, this is a game’s prologue scene.
“…Apocalypse City.”
The words slip out like a spell.
Apocalypse City.
Literally, the City of the End.
No need to recap the game’s lore.
If things follow the story, everything will be explained within hours.
Instinctively, my gaze drifts to the towering central building.
I need to check the time.
Through my hazy vision, the clock’s hour and minute hands inch toward 12.
Noon.
The bustling city before lunch.
Countless people pass by.
No one spares a glance at the dazed man standing still.
Only I feel this suffocating sense of sinking.
What…
What the hell is happening?
Despite my confusion, words spill out unconsciously.
“Time left… three minutes.”
I pray.
Please don’t let that situation unfold before me.
Lowering my gaze, I see my reflection in the transparent glass.
Still blurry, but recognizable.
Black hair.
Shabby clothes.
A face both familiar and foreign.
My thoughts spiral.
A stifling, suffocating pressure closes in.
Then—
“Huh? What’s wrong with you?”
A passerby’s mutter.
Followed by an explosion of noise.
BOOM!
In this situation, three minutes isn’t long.
“Whoa…! That’s a huge accident!”
People who don’t yet realize what’s happening gawk at the chain-reaction crashes.
What makes the chaos worse is the sky.
Planes begin falling.
Only then do people start to panic.
“What the hell is going on?!”
“Move! Get out of the way!”
“R-run!”
“Is this a blackout?!”
“Nothing’s turning on!”
The city, once dazzling with holograms and neon signs, shuts down like a stalled car.
Even in broad daylight, the light vanishes, leaving only a dreary gloom.
I’m probably the only one who knows why.
“…Megaflare.”
The largest solar flare in human history.
The resulting solar wind collides with Earth’s magnetic field, triggering a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that fries all electronics.
Cars losing power was just the beginning.
A plane crashes into the ground.
This isn’t the end.
It’s just the start.
Thanks to that damn solar wind, mutants will soon emerge.
And mutants produce infected.
As if blessing this destruction, an aurora blooms across the sky.
A beautiful phenomenon born from the clash of solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field.