PrologueFamiliar letters appeared.[Condition Achieved][Difficulty: Legendary][Ending: Annihilation][Play Time: 127:35:27]And then, a sigh slipped out, just a beat too late.“Cut…”It was a combination of words I had seen countless times before.But this time, the feeling was different.Because the difficulty was different.The highest difficulty—Legendary.The so-called endgame content, still talked about in the half-dead community, long deemed impossible to clear.“I actually beat it.”Before the afterglow even faded, I first took a screenshot.A small habit of mine—always securing the spoils.“Haa…”I stared blankly at the screen even after taking the screenshot.How much time had passed?A wave of emptiness crept in.“Hmm…”To think that clearing the final difficulty wouldn’t even reward me with a simple ending credit.The screen, no different from any other difficulty, felt underwhelming.Apocalypse City. I’ve poured seven years into this already.The end of a game I’d been playing on inertia for so long.As the faint emotions faded, a bitter taste began to seep in.Maybe it’s time to quit.Useless thoughts piled up.But then—Ding!“?”[Continue: Y / N]What?A system message I had never seen before popped up.A message that shouldn’t exist in a game where play ends the moment your in-game character dies.What on earth…?It was unsettling.But hesitation wasn’t in me when it came to clicking.Almost instinctively, my mouse pointer moved toward “Y.”And then—Ding![Achievement Completion Rate 100%][Reward for 100% Completion: Extra Trait Points][Reward for 100% Completion: All Traits Unlocked]“There was an easter egg like this?”A message declaring that all traits had been unlocked.The trait selection screen opened next.Could there really have been traits left undiscovered until now?A strange excitement spread through my body.It had been a long time since I felt this way.This anticipation.It’s late, but…In a short span, I skimmed through the countless traits.Traits—special characteristics.They weren’t so broken as to completely ruin game balance.But depending on how you combined them, they could drastically shift the course of the game.Even before scrolling down, I noticed something new.[Trait Points: 50pt]A whole 50.“Heh.”Considering the easiest difficulty only gave 15 points, this was at least triple—enormous.I scrolled down, waiting to see the new traits.How many times did the wheel turn?“Huh?”I had to take back what I’d said before.This level… could break the balance.[Legendary Swordsmanship Talent: -50pt]– A tragic genius born in the wrong era.Grants overwhelming talent with all bladed weapons.Activates hypersenses when using blades.[Legendary Marksmanship Talent: -50pt]– A fortunate genius born in the right era.Grants overwhelming talent with all firearms.Activates hypersenses when using firearms.[Humanity’s Ultimate Weapon: -50pt]– Possesses the most superior body in human history.All physical abilities start at maximum. The maximum cap is increased.Three traits in total.A mix of wonder and awe washed over me.Not once in thousands of runs had I ever seen these traits.Overwhelming talent—I couldn’t even grasp what it might mean…But hypersenses?And starting at max physical stats with the “Ultimate Weapon” trait, not just capped but surpassing it? That wasn’t something even three or four normal traits combined could replicate.This was…I can’t not try this out.There was no need to overthink it.My eyes went straight to the trait points.Held: 50pt.But each of these new traits cost -50pt.They were arranged so you could only choose one.Only one, huh?No, that wasn’t the plan.I’d just earn more points, that’s all.Already, like some ingrained habit, the optimal build was forming in my head.If I led with Legendary Marksmanship Talent and combined it with others, surely…The mouse pointer hesitated mid-motion.“Hmm…”Legendary Marksmanship Talent?That was just the best build to clear the game.But the exclamation mark above my head rejected the thought.Quickly, my mind began piecing together another combination.“This might be enough for a completely different build.”I paused for a moment, thinking.“Hm, maybe I’ll just set it up for now.”Yes, just the setup…I scrolled down to the minus traits.Minus traits—debuff characteristics.Selecting them gave penalties, but also bonus trait points.To grab one of the newly unlocked top-tier traits, I’d have to boost my points first.[Firearm Phobia (Warning): +22pt]– You have a fear of firearms. Equipping one throws you into a panic state.[Implant Incompatibility (Warning): +17pt]– Your body rejects implants. You cannot augment yourself with cybernetics.[Damaged Immune System (Warning): +10pt]– Your immune system is compromised. Your likelihood of catching disease skyrockets. When in contact with mutants, your chance of infection greatly increases.[Dyslexia (Warning): +11pt]– You cannot read letters. You are unable to study or deduce information. This has a massive impact on gameplay.[High Basal Metabolism: +4pt]– Your basal metabolic rate is excessively high. You become hungry easily and must consume more food to survive.[Poor Eyesight: +2pt]– Your vision is weak. Firearm accuracy decreases.Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.Selections made.“Does that give me enough points?”[Owned Traits][Trait Points: 116pt]I had to admit it.These traits weren’t meant for clearing the game.This was a firearm-centered game.Yes, melee weapons could be useful, but clearing the game with only melee combat? Almost impossible.And yet, I had given up so much.Realistically, the best choice would have been to take the firearm trait “Legendary Marksmanship Talent,” then stack bonus points to invest in practical traits.But my emotions rejected that logic.Instead, I chose traits purely for fun, not for clearing the game.[Legendary Swordsmanship Talent: -50pt]– A tragic genius born in the wrong era.Grants overwhelming talent with all bladed weapons.Activates hypersenses when using blades.Chosen.[Humanity’s Ultimate Weapon: -50pt]– Possesses the most superior body in human history.All physical abilities start at maximum. The maximum cap is increased.Chosen.I scrolled back up to check the remaining points.[Trait Points: 16pt]Sixteen left.The final puzzle piece was obvious.[Mechanical Heart-Lungs: -15pt]– You rarely tire. To others, you may seem like a machine.“This is it.”Mechanical Heart-Lungs.A trait as straightforward as its description.In-game, there was a stamina stat.This was the reason firearms had to be the main weapon.Any movement consumed stamina.When it fell below a threshold, you slowed down, or even collapsed from exhaustion, unable to move.But this trait raised stamina to a ridiculous level.If I combined this wall-breaking trait with the other two broken ones…Wouldn’t I finally be able to try the playstyle I’d always wanted?A degenerate build that excluded firearms entirely.“A swordmaster build… complete.”One bonus point remained.“Hmm.”Awkward. Just one left.Maybe I should invest in Driving Skills?With that thought, I scrolled again—and caught something I’d missed.[■■: -1pt]A single-point trait, its name garbled.Is this a bug…?Most likely an unfinished trait.Still, since it was marked as positive, it could only help.It wasn’t like I was aiming for a sweaty min-max run.It was the last round anyway—so even if something went wrong, it’d just become another memory.The selection was done.“Phew.”I exhaled deeply, turning my gaze up toward the ceiling.A faint wave of fatigue washed over me.“What time is it…”The clock read 4 a.m.Dawn would soon break.For a moment, I hesitated.The fatigue from clearing the top difficulty still weighed heavy.But hesitation didn’t last long.The idea of “just setting it up” had been erased from my mind already.“Just this once more.”The words slipped out like a spell, hesitation clinging to them.“For real. Just this time.”And this time, I meant it.Having cleared the hardest difficulty, I was ready to quit without regret.There was no way I could keep pouring time into this game I’d already spent half my twenties on.“For the last time.”I set the name.[Name: Kyle Han]Always the same name.At some point, I had stubbornly stuck with it out of habit.Once the knot of naming was tied, the mouse pointer drifted toward the “Play” button.Click.Bzzzt.The moment I clicked, my train of thought was cut off.Darkness swallowed my vision.Ding.[Survive the Certain Destruction.][Difficulty: LAST][Name: Kyle Han][Legendary Swordsmanship Talent], [Humanity’s Ultimate Weapon], [Mechanical Heart-Lungs], [■■][Firearm Phobia (Warning)], [Implant Incompatibility (Warning)], [Damaged Immune System (Warning)], [Dyslexia (Warning)], [High Basal Metabolism], [Poor Eyesight]– Stress Level: 0 –Cold sweat trickled down my back.Was this a dream?No—it wasn’t.My senses were far too sharp.“……”Through blurred vision, the familiar sight of the city came into view.Towering buildings stretching endlessly upward,streets packed with dazzling holograms.If I wasn’t mistaken, this was the prologue screen of the game.“…Apocalypse City.”The words escaped my lips like a trance.Apocalypse City.A city of the end.No need to recall the game’s plot.If events unfolded as they had in-game, everything would explain itself within hours.Naturally, my gaze was drawn to the towering building in front of me.I wanted to check the time.Through hazy eyes, the clock hands on the Central Tower could just barely be made out—racing toward twelve o’clock sharp.The city buzzed with midday activity.Crowds rushed past.Busy people who paid no attention to someone standing idly in place.I alone felt suffocated, as if sinking beneath invisible weight.What was this?What the hell had happened?But regardless of my thoughts—“Time remaining… 3 minutes.”The words slipped from my mouth unconsciously.I prayed.Prayed that what was about to happen wouldn’t actually come.Dropping my gaze, I saw my reflection in the glass.Though my vision was still hazy, I could make out enough…Black hair.Worn-out clothes.A figure that looked both similar to my living self, yet distinctly different.Countless thoughts consumed me.Frustration and suffocation closed in all at once.Then—“Huh? What’s going on?”A passerby muttered to themselves.And immediately after, came a chain of deafening booms.KWAANG!In a situation like this, three minutes was hardly a long time.“Whoa… that’s a massive accident!”People who hadn’t yet grasped the reality of what was unfolding ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) simply stared blankly at the chain collision before their eyes.What made this panic spiral further was the sky.Even airplanes began plummeting down.Only then did the people seem to realize something—and chaos erupted.“What the hell is happening?!”“Move! Get out of the way!”“R-run, run!”“I-it must be a blackout!”“The lights are out too!”The city, once dazzling in its display of holograms and neon signs, ground to a halt as cars powered by electricity stalled, their engines dead.And with the light gone despite it being broad daylight, the city suddenly felt like a gloomy medieval town.As for the reason behind it—only I knew.“…Mega Flare.”The largest solar flare in human history.The solar wind from that eruption clashed with Earth’s magnetic field, triggering a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that burned out circuits in countless machines.Cars powered by electricity had stopped, sparking the accidents now unfolding.Planes were slamming into the ground.And this was only the beginning.Soon, because of that damned solar wind, mutants would start appearing.And the mutants… would spawn the infected.And as if to bless the coming apocalypse,the sky blossomed with an aurora—a breathtaking display born from the collision of solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.