I realized it as soon as I launched the game.
This game was never going to end quickly. That was exactly why I'd excluded RPGs from my shortlist.
"Once you start, you just keep chasing the next thing."
Even if you wanted to quit midway, the thought of "let's finish this first" would keep nagging at you. In RPGs, it's nearly impossible to stop halfway, which is why I intentionally avoided them.
Yet the moment I started this game, it immediately gave me that same RPG-like feeling.
I could tell instinctively that I wouldn't be able to properly finish it. This game was going to be long.
"I was planning to play a short session…"
But now, a short session was out of the question. I couldn't back out either—I'd already said I'd play it, and I'd even spent money to buy it. I paused for a moment, then decided to dive in.
"Alright, let's start right away."
The moment I pressed the start button, my view began to shift. The main story seemed to kick off immediately.
[The world has ended.]
A narration appeared with subtitles, and the perspective switched to third-person. People were lying on the ground, bleeding, while the city's multicolored lights flickered. Worker robots began attacking humans, and machines went haywire, exploding in various accidents.
[I am the sole survivor of this world.]
"Whoa…"
Seeing the background story and the final narration, I couldn't help but feel impressed. Sure, it was a cliché often used in survival games, but something about it felt different. Maybe it was the setting, maybe just the execution—but I loved it. This was probably why I instinctively knew I couldn't finish the game quickly.
"Now I get why you guys recommended this. This looks insanely fun."
―"Yup."
―"Glad we recommended it."
―"Just looking at it, we knew you'd like it."
―"Alright, let's go!"
―"Looks fun."
The chat's positive reaction put me in a good mood. Soon, my perspective switched back to first-person, and a message popped up.
[Please select your class.]
―"Noid"
―"Locked"
―"Locked"
―"Locked"
―"Locked"
It seemed that as I played, meeting conditions or gaining points would unlock other classes for future runs. I chose Noid for a fast start.
Next came another choice.
[Please select your stats and code chip.]
Unlike other survival games, this one allowed me to customize my stats.
"Interesting."
I had 100 stat points to distribute across Intelligence, Strength, and Speed. Higher Intelligence increased skill acquisition speed, Strength did what it said, and Speed affected movement and action speed.
"First run, so… Intelligence 35, Agility 35, Strength 30."
For the first run, I preferred an even distribution rather than focusing on a single stat. I didn't yet know which stats I'd need, and going lopsided could make my character weak.
I finished distributing my stats and moved to select my code chip.
"Only one chip available."
Since I had just bought the game, only one code chip was available:
[Beginner's Code Chip]
―Survive one dangerous situation and escape.
Perfect for someone completely new to the game. I selected it immediately.
[All selections complete.]
[Enjoy your survival.]
The screen dimmed briefly, then brightened to reveal my starting location: a scrapyard.
"Alright, this must be the start point."
I quickly scoped the area. In survival games, scanning your surroundings is crucial. Luckily, there were no hostile creatures nearby. While checking the area, I noticed something glowing.
"What's that?"
With no immediate threats, I approached it. Picking it up triggered a semi-transparent hologram:
[Poly Conduit]
―Connects machines to machines. Now worn out, just scrap metal.
Just scrap metal—but having it wouldn't hurt. Looking around, I saw other scrap pieces, though not all triggered system messages.
"Can't use every item, huh?"
Maybe certain conditions had to be met. Either way, I put the unmarked items back. Plenty of glowing items remained around, so I decided to grab those all.
The items went straight into my inventory without hindering movement. I collected until a system message appeared.
[Inventory full.]
[Further items will slow your movement drastically.]
There was clearly a limit. I reluctantly gave up grabbing more to avoid becoming too slow.
I turned to chat.
"So… what do I do now?"
No guide, no tutorial. Like a civilized person dropped into the wild, my options were minimal. And having finished those few, I had no clue what to do next.
―"ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
―"Dude, that's not how you do it."
―"I thought you'd stop mindless farming earlier, but here we are filling the inventory."
―"I expected someone famous to know the early game, guess I was arrogant."
―"How can you farm for so long?"
Checking the time, it had been 20 minutes since I started—20 minutes of obsessive farming. Naturally, my inventory was full. Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek. I'd been so absorbed in farming I hadn't even looked at chat.
"So… what's next?"
Almost immediately, a donation popped up.
['FarmingFan' donated 1,000 won!]
[There's a container in the scrapyard. Go there and find the crafting table.]
"Crafting table, got it."
I had no clue what they meant, but I decided to follow their lead. After 20 minutes of farming, I knew the scrapyard was huge, so finding a container wouldn't be easy.
"Wait… that's the container?"
Chat confirmed:
―"Yup."
―"Clearly a container."
―"Anyone who can't see that has something wrong with their eyes."
―"If it's not a container, what should we call it?"
―"Everyone calls it that, so just go with it."
It did look like a container, though massive—at least three stories tall. Cyberpunk world, so I accepted it.
I opened the container and went inside. Surprisingly tidy, it was like a warehouse with organized items.
"Why did I farm so much for nothing?"
Another donation arrived.
['FarmingFan' donated 1,000 won!]
[Don't touch any items if you don't want to die. Go up to the 3rd floor.]
Apparently, touching the wrong thing would be fatal. Multiple chat messages echoed the same warning. I withdrew my hands and searched for stairs.
"Why does it feel bigger inside than outside?"
Real or not, the interior seemed more spacious. About five minutes later, I reached the 3rd floor.
"Wow, this place is huge."
I waited for the next guideline, which soon came.
['FarmingFan' donated 1,000 won!]
[A random room on the 3rd floor is the management office. Find it and enter.]
"Alright."
I moved to find the management office. The 3rd floor differed from the lower floors—no clutter, just numerous rooms. Only one was the target.
"How do I know which one?"
No labels, no windows. I asked chat.
―"Should be fine to just open a door."
―"Yeah, go ahead."
―"You won't get in trouble."
Luckily, the doors were safe to open. I tried the nearest one. Nothing. I tried pulling, then pushing, nothing.
"What the…?"
For three minutes, I wrestled with the sliding door while chat laughed hysterically.
―"ㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
―"ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
―"ㅋ"
―"ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
―"Real lol"
Finally, I tried sliding it sideways. The door glided open.
"Dammit."
I cursed without thinking—three minutes wasted on a sliding door. Relieved, I started opening rooms to check the interiors. The 3rd floor had supply rooms, break rooms, etc. Finally, I found the management office with what appeared to be a crafting station.
"Is this the crafting table?"
Another donation arrived.
['FarmingFan' donated 1,000 won!]
[Don't touch the crafting table. Press the security release button on the office console first.]
"Uh…"
Too late—the crafting table was already under my hands. A system message appeared.
[Intruder detected.]
[Security system activated to eliminate intruder.]
"Oh… guys, I'm dead, right?"
―"Yup."
―"Bye-bye."
―"You're dead."
―"That's a guaranteed death event."
―"Good luck."
And so ended my first run of PunkPunk.