Episode 1: Nothing Says “Ordinary Person” Like Dying Suddenly

Academy Swordmaster

A game that dominated the 2030s with its unparalleled immersion, freedom of gameplay, and characters who each had protagonist-level popularity-truly a masterpiece of its time.

Released alongside the rapidly evolving full-dive capsule, a revolutionary gaming device, it sparked controversy with rumors that dying in-game could kill you in real life and debates about its pain sensory functions. But…

[Full-Dive Capsule Outsells PlayStation to Become #1 in Sales!]

With dating sim-style choice mechanics, RPG elements, and a level of freedom surpassing even VR devices, the full-dive capsule’s perfect spatial rendering made players feel as if they’d truly entered another world. It was only a matter of time before people became addicted.

-Squelch!

[You Have Died]

“Ugh, keeping this damn girl alive is seriously exhausting.”

And of course, I was one of those addicted players.

As the screen turned black and “YOU DEAD” flashed in red, a curse slipped out instinctively.

The reason for my outburst was, naturally, Academy Swordmaster’s character, Yun Se-ah.

At first, she’s the perfect student council president-kind, beautiful, and capable-with the added charm of a frail constitution. A quintessential heroine.

Early in the story, she appears as a reliable ally, helping the protagonist with items and support, exuding the dignity of a student council president. But in reality, it was all an act to gain the protagonist’s trust.

As one of the few characters with a full-body illustration-usually reserved for heroines-players assumed she’d be a romantic interest. But then came the twist that shattered expectations…

[-Stab!]

[“Sorry. Unfortunately, I can’t be with you.”]

Under orders from the final boss, she stabs the protagonist in the heart to steal their unique skill.

From that point on, Student Council President Yun Se-ah transforms into Mid-Boss Yun Se-ah, an antagonist hellbent on killing the protagonist.

No matter how you assemble your party to defeat her… the key item [Hypnotic Evil Eye] triggers a nightmare scenario where every party member except the protagonist falls under hypnosis and turns against you.

The only options are to either equip your entire party with mental resistance gear or fight her solo-a brutally difficult battle.

Add instant-death attacks flying at you every two seconds, and she becomes one of the hardest bosses in the game.

Even if you manage to defeat her after all that effort, the rewards are pitiful: a spent Evil Eye and the old pistol she used-utter garbage compared to the difficulty.

Naturally, her reputation shifted from “charming student council president” to “that bitch who gives trash rewards for an impossible fight.” Or so we thought…

Later updates revealed she’d been brainwashed since childhood by the final boss and resisted until her dying breath. Players, moved by her tragic story, began trying everything to give her a happy ending.

First plan: Restrain her before she awakens, preventing her from acting, then defeat the final boss to free her from brainwashing.

Failure. As if her life was bound to the final boss, she died the moment he did.

Second plan: Carefully choose dialogue options to max out her affection and prevent her from stabbing the protagonist.

Also a failure. Higher affection meant the protagonist started the mid-boss fight with 99% of their HP already gone.

Swordmaster Gallery

[Don’t You Dare Max Out That Bitch Yun Se-ah’s Affection] (1,678 views)

[Screenshot of HP at 1]

[Fuck, you start with 99% of your HP gone]

According to the gallery posts, maxing her affection meant starting the fight with only 1% HP left.

The general reaction was, “What kind of bullshit affection system is this, you fucking bitch?”

But was there truly no way? The answer is a resounding NO. Enter the final method.

If you max her affection to 99%, enter the fight solo, and avoid attacking her entirely while surviving the time limit, she flies into a rage, accusing you of mocking her.

At that moment, the Hypnotic Evil Eye-the source of her brainwashing-becomes destructible. Destroy it, and she’s freed from the final boss’s control, joining your party at max affection.

The catch? Post-brainwashing Yun Se-ah becomes as fragile as a sunfish, barely stronger than an average person.

The final boss, knowing she holds critical intel, sends assassins after her constantly. Worse, she starts recalling her brainwashed past and attempts self-harm, requiring constant mental care.

Meaning? One slip-up, and she’s either stabbed by assassins or kills herself.

Even if you somehow save-scum your way through all that…

[“Please… take care of my sister, Eunha…” (Thud)]

In the final boss fight, she takes an unavoidable one-hit KO meant for the protagonist and gets split in half-peak “Ordinary Person” behavior.

The kicker? This attack only happens if Yun Se-ah is your main heroine. Other heroines don’t trigger it.

No matter how much you retry, the protagonist is debuffed from taking hits meant for her, making her death inevitable.

Swordmaster Gallery

[Why the Fuck Does This Bitch Yun Se-ah Even Have a Full-Body Illustration?] (8,000 views)

[In-game text: “Yun Se-ah was split in half and died”]

[This makes no sense. You save her just to watch her get bisected because of debuffs?]

[99+ comments]

[LMAO for real]

[I thought leveling stats would help, but the debuff reduces movement speed, defense, and attack by 99% each. You can’t move even if you try everything.]

[Should’ve picked her sister Yu Eunha as the main heroine instead.]

[Come on, where’s the romance in that?]

[Yu Eunha locks in as main heroine from one dialogue choice. Annoying as hell for completionists.]

…

…

[Wait, if Yu Eunha and Yun Se-ah are sisters, why do they have different last names?]

[No clue.]

[Dumbass, Eunha’s adopted. Yun Se-ah bullied her out of jealousy.]

[Hey hey hey]

[Spoiler ban, please.]

“Damn it, I just want to complete the collection.”

Even if it’s a death ending, you need it for 100% completion.

While browsing the gallery, one post caught my eye.

[Can’t you just use the bug fix mod to tweak stats, block the attack, and save her?]

“Pfft, as if I’d resort to bug exploits…”

-Click

My hands, however, were already downloading the mod tools.

-Clang!

“Yes, blocked it!”

The bug mod let me block the attack, but…

The game froze after the blocking animation.

“Seriously? That’s it?”

As I prepared to post about the frozen screen on the forum and exited the capsule…

Forced Synchronization Initiated

3….2…

-Bzzzt!

“Ghk?!”

A powerful electric current surged through my body.

Synchronization Complete. Have a Pleasant Journey.

My vision blurred instantly.