Chapter 1

The All-Master of Cyberpunk

Episode 1

1. How to live in the city

I don’t like this city.

He muttered to himself, crushing his cigarette butt.

The sky was damn blue, but it wasn’t open.

The grayish concrete and the colorful neon signs that adorned its exterior walls pierced the horizon.

“Hey, Kim, Did you finish your work?”

Kim Sang-yup.

A recognized member of the Daegu Chilgok Guild.

“Uh.”

“He’s smaller than I thought today, isn’t he? And yet, he’s the one who destroyed an entire company with a single body.”

“Yeah, just make sure he’s taken care of.”

“Oh, I know. I’ll do as you say.”

The driver chuckled and replied in a flippant tone of voice.

It was a little annoying, but the driver had a reputation for being a good driver.

Kim frowned slightly as he climbed into the van, which was covered with all sorts of metal plates.

“This ride is terrible.”

“It’s an armored vehicle, of course.”

They were right.

The van in question was made up of all sorts of steel plates, and it resembled a small armored personnel carrier.

New materials are crude in appearance but expensive in value.

It was said that the guild’s driver was a bit of a daredevil, but he could roll a vehicle like this.

It’s not just the interior.

The bumpers had steel blades that looked like they belonged on a bulldozer.

The roof of the car has a turret of self-loading explosives.

The tires were specially coated to withstand attacks from mid-level mutants.

“Hunters who can blast through concrete walls with their bare hands—that’s what it takes to be a chauffeur, isn’t it?”

“I could use a little more aesthetics, though.”

He clicked his tongue and stretched out his legs.

“Hey, what are you doing, not getting on? I brought you here because you’re an experienced freelancer; can’t you get your act together?”

But it wasn’t just the driver’s rude behavior that made Kim feel bad.

It was the fact that a rookie who didn’t know where he was coming from had joined the raid.

His gaze fell on the young man standing outside the van.

His arms, legs, and torso were too flimsy to handle even a low-level mutant, let alone a high-level one.

And a lowlife who doesn’t even have a tech body, let alone a high-level mutant.

I don’t know what the guild did to deserve all of them.

“Hey, new guy, is he deaf?”

I called out to him, but he still didn’t answer.

Finally, Kim Sang-yup couldn’t stand it anymore and started swearing.

However, the man in question didn’t hear Kim’s angry shouts.

It would be more accurate to say that he couldn’t hear it.

Neither did he.

“What is this?”

He was the one who was suddenly sucked into the game world.

* * *

“All thanks to you, anyway. [The world will be a little better soon.].

[Take care, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.].

[At the top of the city].

The screen fades to black with a final sneer from the masked man.

And the end credits roll.

“Is that all the ending you need?”

I stretched, finishing off the energy drink on my desk.

Seoul, 2056.

An action RPG was released by Korean indie developer ROK Project after five years of development.

Initially, many people were worried about the game because it was an AAA game made by an indie game developer.

Seoul 2056 was released as if to scoff at those worries, and it was a Godgame that swept all the Game of the Year awards.

The game is set in a near-future Korea that has been ravaged by mutants and AI rebellions.

The hunting action of wiping out giant mutants and battalions of androids called Revelations with all sorts of weapons is cool.

It’s not just about the action but also the story and gameplay.

The graphics are overwhelming for a recently released game.

There’s no place to put it down.

I stayed up all night for a week straight after it came out and watched all the endings.

I’m probably the only person in the country who was this serious.

I practically speedranted the endings, so I was considered a celebrity in the community for that alone.

[Popular] I broke the seal in a week.

(Comments: 78) (Recommendations: 236)

Doesn’t he deserve to be stuffed by the studio?

I just ate and played games (for real).

Please stay in this life.

What the hell is this guy?

└[Author] I’m just a normal office worker…

└???? Then did you go AWOL?

└[Author] I used all my annual and monthly leave.

└This asshole is the real madness.

I giggled, searching for a reaction from the hot community.

“Oh, that was fun. I got all the mulberries, Seoul 2056.”

I’ve collected all the endings, too. Just when I thought I was ready to retire from the hellish routine, I’d return to it tomorrow.

A turquoise neon glow on the game’s main lobby screen caught my eye.

[a message from a faceless man].

“……?”

Was it some kind of Easter egg, or some kind of perk for players who had seen all the endings?

Whatever it was, it was enough to pique my interest, and I didn’t hesitate to open the message.

Hey, how are you doing? I see you’re not bored with the hectic life in Seoul.

A gravelly voice came from beyond the speakers. It was the same man from the end credits.

The owner of the Korean Tower and the man responsible for stabilizing the situation after the “Great Chaos” that devastated countries around the world.

How does it feel to see all the stories from Seoul?

[I never thought I’d reach all the futures so quickly].

[Congratulations; you didn’t earn your legendary status for anything].

The full-voice dub perk? I’m guessing it’s TTS because it’s a bit noisy.

I never thought an indie game company would respect gamers this much.

[Then again, do they even remember the last time I told them I was looking forward to seeing them again soon?].

[I know I’m asking a lot, but yes, that day has indeed come, and this time it’s the last time.]

[Answer my call.] Let’s make a good case.

The monotonous lobby of the game switches to a new character creation window.

It’s as if the game is urging me to get back to work and not take a break.

It’s a bit of a gimmick.

A hidden cookie for beating all seven endings.

It’s a crazy amount of content for an indie game.

I’ve already started creating a singularity character, envisioning a gaming community that’s about to go up in flames.

[New perks are available].

You can only choose one new perk.

==Pure Organisms== =Pure Organisms

Cannot modify their bodies.

0% body modification rate.

*『Gene Absorption』

* * Able to absorb the gene of an absorbable target.

Psychic?

Although the game is set in near-future Korea, there are also special abilities called “superpowers” in the in-game setting.

Of course, as a cyberpunk genre that focuses on body modifications and mechanical gadgets, psychic powers aren’t often featured, so I didn’t get to use them much.

‘There were only three powers available in the game. It was a little disappointing.

But being able to absorb and copy the genes of other people with superpowers?

That sounds pretty interesting.

Of course, other than being pure organisms, they were also full of personality.

Cyborgs of the Shadow Government

All NPCs have? 300% favorability.

Cannot use nano-recovery machines.

+200% to firearms calibration

+300% to Tech Body Durability

*『Defender of the Old Order

*Unlimited access to the ROKA Central Secret Armory

==Brain in a Barrel==

Cannot create a unique body model.

Declared dead when facility power is cut

200% correction to social system access

500% hack resistance

*”Iron Legionnaire”

*0% resource consumption rate for production of attack drones and combat androids* Gain granular control over these objects.

*?200% Revelation faction favoritism

Uncontrollable A.I.s ==== +300% to

+300% chance of psychotic rampage

-200% to retain control of the body

*”Immortal”

*Cannot be destroyed.

+200% to Hack Resistance

+150% to all positive corrections

+200% to Revelation faction favoritism

All of these are interesting.

The last two traits seemed to have something to do with the Revelation, a massive artificial intelligence that is portrayed in the game as a hostile force alongside the main mutants.

I’ll have to take my time with this one later.

“But why does it take me straight to the statistics window instead of customizing my appearance?

I had a small question, but shrugged it off.

I chose the ‘Pure Organism’ trait, which stood out to me from the start.

The flower of cyberpunk. I was curious to see how unusual a playthrough I could get by forgoing the alpha and omega of tech bodies.

Psychic Absorption.

I thought I could come up with some pretty creative and fun builds.

I’m an insatiable curiosity.

“The other stuff looks interesting, but we’ll see.

I already have multiple playthroughs in mind. I figured since I’d already seen the ending, I’d take my time and try out the other stuff over the weekend.

So I selected the new perks.

“Done.”

Without hesitation, I hit the Create Character button.

Another blackout.

And finally, a mildly mocking voice.

[Good luck; I’ll see you in Seoul].

[……Edojin Hunter].

“Uh, what did you just say?”

It didn’t take long for my rating of ‘god game’ Seoul 2056 to drop to’man game’.

* * *@@novelbin@@

Bam!!!

A jolt of shock snapped me back to reality. I turned my head and saw a crumpled soda can littering the floor.

“What the fuck? Are you ignoring me now? I’m Kim Sang-yup!”

A man in his 40s, his face flushed red, shouted from the outside of a sealed van.

The face was unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time.

“Kim Sang-yup.”

“What? Is this guy solidly insane?”

“Kim Sang-yup……? The same Kim Sang-yup from the Chilgok Guild?”

“Yeah, I see you’re finally coming to your senses. There’s as much difference between you and that freelancer as there is between that building and a sewer.”

He was muttering something, but it didn’t matter.

A sprawling city surrounded by walls, the old city was reduced to a wasteland beyond those walls.

Half-fallen, the rattling sign read, ‘Welcome to Daegu Metropolitan City’.

This is the tutorial stage for Seoul 2056.

I lifted both hands and wiggled my fingers. A creepily realistic sensation.

I lifted my hand to slap my cheek, and it felt as if it were slapping my cheek.

I couldn’t help but be convinced.

This must be…

“What the hell? Hey, who brought this idiot here?”

“The guild leader. He said he brought someone useful.”

“How useful is he if he can’t even understand what he’s saying? This is why we shouldn’t have freelancers with poor social skills.”

“I didn’t like him from the beginning. He’s a dumbass from the liberation village, and he’s cheating.”

Kim Sang-yup’s words are echoed by others standing around the van.

Blatant insults.

But I didn’t react in the usual way. Instead, I took a step back from Kim and his group.

“Are you scared? You were so excited earlier, but now you’re about to enter the actual game.”

“Brother, why don’t we just leave them behind? If we take them with us as you said, they’ll only be more baggage, and we don’t have to share the reward.”

At that moment, the scruffy-bearded man looked at me and chuckled.

And then a shadow fell before my eyes.

Kwaaaaang!!!

Something with giant wings swooped down from the air, crushing Kim Sang-yup’s body like jelly.

“Huh?”

In the blink of an eye, the team leader’s body fell to the ground.

The other hunter, standing dazed before him, screamed in horror.

“Kaaaahhh!!!”

The scream soon became a wail.

The screams soon became dying words as the shimmering black monster, seemingly made of alloy, tore into the body of its hapless victim.

“Gargoyle, gargoyle!”

“Why is an advanced flying mutant here? The city’s defenses have been breached!!!”

“Does that matter now? What are you doing, shoot?”

Quickly closing the distance, the hunters pulled out the guns in their arms and opened fire.

The mere firepower of their pistols failed to do even a modicum of damage to the gargoyles.

Realizing that things had gone decidedly wrong, several of them quickly climbed into the wagon and were about to flee.

Ding, ding.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

“What, what! Dude! Where are you going?”

Unfortunately, the driver had none of it.

Despair was written all over the Hunters’ faces as the car sped away, abandoning them in a flash.

The hunters’ heads hit the floor in unison.

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

The gargoyle slaughtered five hunters, including the leader.

It looked at me, the last survivor, and growled.

“Does this make sense?”

It did.

It had gotten into the game.