I Became the Dystopian Swordsman
“You broke it?”
“Yes.”
A brief silence.
And when that silence shattered—
“Are you insane…?”
The young man’s expression twisted into something utterly vicious. The veins bulging on his forehead spoke volumes about his rage.
“Gaaaaah!!!!”
My reaction to his outburst was rather subdued.
‘He’s really pissed.’
No, in fact, I almost let out an amused chuckle.
‘Sasaki Ken.’
The reason I felt so inexplicably pleased was simple.
‘I knew Ken would be here, but I didn’t expect to run into him so easily.’
Sasaki Ken.
He was a firmly established named survivor—though in a slightly different sense.
Named survivors are categorized in various ways.
Some are distinguished by their exceptional abilities.
Others possess critical information.
Countless other reasons divide them into different classifications.
But if there’s one common denominator, it’s that they all excel at something.
Ken, however, is not particularly skilled.
Nor does he hold any crucial intel.
Yet, the reason he’s classified as a named survivor is—
‘The Cockroach-Type Survivor.’
—that title, and—
‘The Extreme Benevolence Survivor.’
—that other title.
Well, maybe the cockroach nickname should be omitted.
Only a small fraction of veteran players ever called him that.
Anyway.
His specialty? A survival instinct that defies logic compared to his actual abilities.
And a behavioral pattern that starkly contrasts his sharp tongue.
His official title is ‘The Humanist.’
He was called that not just in domestic communities but overseas as well.
The reason? His inexplicable habit of never overlooking survivors in danger—a trait that didn’t quite match his personality.
A civil servant.
That was his identity.
If a player was isolated and he was nearby, he’d find a way to help.
He’d stubbornly track them down, to the point of seeming foolish.
Even if that player had attacked him before.
Of course, the results were random.
Given his low stats, the help he could provide was limited.
But no matter the outcome, his parting words were always the same:
‘Never seen someone help others before? Open your damn eyes.’
‘Huh? Well, I’m a civil servant.’
‘Saving citizens in crisis is just part of the job, no?’
With those infuriating lines, he’d vanish into the wind, resuming his wandering.
So, it was impossible not to have a favorable first impression of him.
As a solo player, I’d received his help more than a few times.
‘I really owe him a lot. Seeing him like this brings back memories.’
Against that backdrop—
Ken’s furious voice pierced my eardrums, rattling my skull.
“What the hell were you thinking, breaking the entrance?! If the gang forces their way in through there, we’re all dead! A hundred people here will die because of you!”
“The door’s been reinforced, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Are you laughing?!”
“Ah, well…”
“Officer, you have a fire axe, right? Bring it here.”
“P-Please calm down, sir.”
“No, you wanna laugh, don’t you? Let me give you a reason to laugh even brighter. Huh? Oh my god, this guy’s a total psycho—keep grinning, why don’t you?”
Chaos ensued.
Unconsciously, my lips had curled into a faint smirk, turning Ken’s face a shade of red just short of exploding.
But.
This wasn’t the time to drag out this commotion.
I reached out—grabbing his shoulder.
Just to restrain him.
“H-Huh…?!”
What?
Did I grip too hard?
No, the intense pressure on his shoulder wasn’t the only reason.
His gaze was fixed on the knife in my other hand—unintentionally pointed at him in a threatening stance.
Maybe that was why.
Ken’s demeanor shifted in an instant.
“…Sir?”
Where had his earlier shouting gone?
His pupils darted erratically as he forced a stiff smile.
“How about we… put the knife down and talk this out?”
Weapons are excellent tools for conversation.
At least in this world, that’s undeniable.
Still, I hadn’t wanted to create such a tense situation.
‘I really need to get a sheath for this thing soon. He’s looking at me like I’m a serial killer.’
It must’ve been shocking.
There’s a clear difference between someone holding a knife and someone casually pointing it at a person.
Though it was just a brief misunderstanding, it was time to clear the air.
“The real issue is the gang at the main gate.”
Driving the gang away wasn’t particularly important to me.
The control center wouldn’t be breached anyway.
But for those trembling in fear, I could at least hint at a way to handle the situation.
I had time to spare.
“If fighting them head-on is too difficult, try electrifying the gate to shock them.”
“It doesn’t need to be lethal. Just enough to make them give up.”
“Also, there are probably patients here showing unexplained symptoms.”
“No confirmed contagion yet, but it’s best to isolate them in one place.”
A one-sided information dump.
The civil servants listened with mixed expressions.
Or maybe they were just pretending to listen.
Still, one thing seemed to get through—that I was far from being a gang member or looter.
Perhaps that’s why Ken, who had been eyeing me skeptically, asked a more polite question.
“Let me ask one thing. You skipped over something important.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why are you even here? You must have a purpose.”
“Let’s just say… I’m here for important business.”
“Hah, and that business was important enough to break into a government facility’s back door?”
Ken’s expression soured as he subtly voiced his displeasure.
He clearly wanted to complain more but was swallowing his words under the knife’s implicit threat.
“We have our own position to consider. We need to know why you’re here.”
Did I need to convince them?
Just as I began to think it wasn’t worth the effort—
BANG—!!
BANG—!!
BANG—!!
A rapid series of gunshots drew everyone’s attention.
“Damn it! They’re shooting!”
“Those psychos are serious!”
Small holes had been punched through the main gate.
Through them, human pupils peered inside.
‘They’ve even set up barricades behind the door?’
‘Hey! Bring the plastic explosives! Blow the door and wipe ’em all out!’
“E-Explosives?! Sir, what do we do now?!”
“…Arm yourselves. Now.”
“If we open the door now… maybe they’ll spare us?”
“Don’t be an idiot. You think they’d leave witnesses after coming this far? Everyone, get your heads straight.”
The situation was escalating rapidly.
‘They’re bluffing.’
Plastic explosives?
What a joke.
If they had any, they’d have used them by now. And in all my playthroughs, I’d never seen explosive damage in the control center.
So this was my chance.
A chance to slip away alone and finish what I came for.
But was I a step too late?
“Sir, the parking lot door seems safe.”
“What’s the situation there?”
“Well…”
The civil servant glanced at me before whispering into Ken’s ear.
Ken’s eyes then turned toward me.
‘The barricade should hold. I made sure of it.’
Maybe I overdid it.
I’d never built a barricade in real life, so I just piled up whatever was nearby.
“Do you have allies with you?”
“No, I came alone.”
“And you moved all that… by yourself?”
“Yes.”
‘It wasn’t that heavy…’
Ken’s expression shifted as if he’d made up his mind.
The moment I noticed—
‘Maybe I should cover my ears.’
A strong premonition warned me of what was coming.
“Frankly, I still don’t fully understand what’s happening, but we’re in no position to be picky. Lend us a hand. We need to stop them from breaking through.”
[ENCOUNTER TRIGGERED]
“Sigh…”
[Crisis at the Central Control Center]
Amid the disaster, the civil servants at the Central Control Center face grave danger. They turn to you for help.
[ (Help the civil servants) ]
[ (Help the gang members) ]
[ (Help no one) ]
The scent of blood was already thick in the air.
A confrontation with the gang would almost certainly turn violent.
Especially since they were armed with guns.
Brandishing my knife to intimidate them wouldn’t work here.
No, fighting them outright had no real merit beyond easing the civil servants’ fears.
That left only one option.
‘No point wasting energy unnecessarily.’
Still.
When an encounter triggers, gathering intel is standard procedure.
Calmly, I moved toward the upper floors of the control center.
“Where are you going?”
“There’s something I need to check.”
Gang sizes varied wildly.
Fifty at this stage was small fry.
But in the prologue, I hadn’t known which gang targeted the Central Control Center.
So reconnaissance was essential.
With each step, I felt their gazes—a mix of distrust and faint hope.
That subtle tension made my footsteps heavier.
The windows in key facilities like this had a peculiar design.
Transparent from the inside, opaque from the outside.
[Activating ‘Hawk’s Eye’ Trait.]
Peering down through the window, I confirmed the gang’s numbers.
‘Not many have guns.’
But engaging armed enemies without proper gear was reckless.
‘Probably best not to get involved.’
Then, suddenly.
Someone caught my eye.
“Wait.”
“Do you see something…?”
Ken, who had followed me, squinted outside but couldn’t make out much with normal vision.
“…The Monello Family.”
“The Monello… Family?”
Looking closer, I spotted a caporegime—a lieutenant—among them.
The Monello Family was a gang destined to grow into a massive, vicious mafia.
Their rise to power began after seizing the Rosen Police Department, arming themselves with firearms and androids.
Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.
‘Their goal wasn’t just to exploit the chaos.’
Their target now wasn’t just the Rosen Police Department.
If they were after the Central Control Center, their real aim was the National Guard Armory.
They planned to strongarm the civil servants into lifting access restrictions, then loot the unguarded armory.
And the ones who stopped them early were the civil servants here.
Suddenly, their panicked demeanor took on new meaning.
Against that backdrop, a brief observation slipped out.
“Bigger pests than I thought.”
“What are you muttering about now…?”
“Nothing important.”
Yeah, it was just unnecessary noise.
But now, I had a dilemma.
‘If they’re this big…’
