Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 176 - 215+216 - The NPC Called Arman

He had likely first encountered the creature in the Kingdom of Myld.

'Around level 190, if I recall correctly.'

The C-rank dungeon, Myld Kingdom.

It was a straightforward scenario: defeat the monsters invading the kingdom.

Clearing it required nothing more than cooperating with the kingdom's NPCs to defend the castle.

But Jhin had initiated a rebellion there.

The reason was simple: to purge a corrupted monarch.

'Because that thing was impersonating the king.'

Arman, playing the role of the king.

He constantly disrupted quests and deliberately forced players and NPCs into dangerous situations. Suspicion had grown gradually.

Eventually, Jhinidentified clues, uncovered Arman's true identity, and even discovered a hidden scenario. He remembered it clearly.

Jhin furrowed his brow.

"That face isn't your real one, is it."

It resembled the face of an ordinary Corelandsn man. But there was no way an NPC like him was genuinely Corelandsn.

Most likely, he had consumed someone and assumed their form.

'Damn it. How many has he devoured?'

The power of predation.

It was similar to Kimmy's transformation skill, Transform, but fundamentally different.

'His ability is single-use.'

Back in Myld Kingdom, Jhin had uncovered Arman's identity when a series of mysterious disappearances occurred inside the castle.

Tracking them led straight to the king.

'To maintain a transformation, he must continue consuming related material.'

In other words, to remain in human form, he had to eat humans regularly.

Unlike Kimmy's transformation, which was permanent until changed, Arman's required constant feeding.

'So those corpses in the room weren't illusions.'

No one knew how long he had been doing this since New Capital became a game. But if those corpses were all his victims—

'There must be over a hundred, at the very least.'

Arman drew a jagged sword, its edge sharp like a shark's tooth, and spoke.

"You were an inescapable nightmare."

"What?"

"And a fear I thought had long since died."

Yet his gaze was steady, his voice calm. There was no trace of fear in his eyes.

He spoke like someone affirming a decision.

"But now—"

In a blink, his form vanished.

The stench hit instantly, foul and sharp.

Jhin raised his sword by reflex.

"You're simply an enemy I need to defeat."

CHAAANG.

Arman's greatsword struck with massive force, far greater than his frame should have allowed.

Jhin focused his power.

"Fear… I don't mind that."

This time, Jhin moved.

Skill: PowerFocus (E) activated.

He poured Power into his weapon and pushed back Arman's greatsword, using the opening to carve shallow cuts into his opponent.

At the same time, he summoned a fireball in his other hand.

"But I don't look very frightening anymore, do I? Do I seem that easy to you?"

Combination Skill: Fire Explosion (F) activated.

BOOM.

Arman was thrown backward, unable to withstand the blast. His greatsword shattered from the impact.

Without hesitation, he discarded the fragments.

"No. You're still terrifying. But it doesn't matter anymore."

He pulled out a bow, nocked an arrow, and began shooting in rapid succession. The arrows arced toward Jhinlike a barrage.

That was not the end.

Jhin felt the air tremble—the unmistakable sign of magic activation all around him.

So many skills at once. They had to be stolen, temporarily absorbed by consuming countless players.

Arman declared with certainty:

"In the face of the Absolute, you and I are nothing."

"…What?"

WHIIING.

BOOM. THUD. KRAK.

Jhin bent low, dodging the barrage. But in that momentary opening, a blade of wind grazed his shoulder.

Magic and arrows overlapped.

Skill: Soft skills (S) activated.

Skill: Chosangbi (F) activated.

Even with Slayskill fully activated, its F-rank limitation left gaps. He couldn't dodge everything.

An arrow struck his shoulder.

Another hit his thigh.

A blast struck his back.

By the time the barrage ended, his body was torn and bleeding.

Skill: Rapid Regeneration (F) activated.

"..."

He exhaled sharply and fixed his gaze on Arman.

By now, the creature barely resembled a human.

Red wings pierced through his shoulders. A tail extended from his lower back. His mouth had lengthened into a reptilian snout.

"It's been a while since I've seen that form."

The battle intensified.

Arman took flight, striking with his tail like a limb, casting spells, and coordinating attacks with blades and borrowed skills.

The pattern was familiar.

'This feels like…'

Fighting the old Kyle.

The way the skills were layered and sequenced—too clean, too efficient.

The simultaneous detonations showed a frightening level of control.

'But there's a limit.'

Jhin stopped attacking and focused purely on evasion.

Arman's skills were all one-time uses, drained as they were activated.

If Jhin could survive long enough, he could take down what would remain: an empty shell.

That was the method.

"You're using the same tactic again."

But Arman, too, was on his second run through Exodia.

Hovering midair, he conjured a cloud of black smoke.

From it, he pulled something trapped inside.

A person.

"I told you—I needed time to prepare."

So this was what that preparation meant.

Jhin gritted his teeth and threw himself aside, dodging a newly summoned magic missile.

At this rate, his stamina would run out before Arman's skills did.

The longer the fight dragged on, the worse it became.

"There's no choice. I'll have to finish this head-on."

Equipment 'Goblin King's Crown' – Exclusive Skill: Specter Legion activated.

Equipment 'Goblin King's Ring' – Exclusive Skill: Goblin Flame activated.

Clad in the goblin king's armor from head to toe, Jhin's Meteor blade of Calamity blazed with ghostly blue flame.

But he did not stop there.

"Everyone, cover me."

The hundred specters that had remained hidden in the shadows rose around him.

Rocket and Lykan stood close together like a well-trained pair. Atlas glared at Arman with the silent weight of a steadfast boss monster.

Arman clenched his fists and muttered.

"For the glory of Lord Magritte…"

In an instant, his body was wrapped in red dragon scales.

The final stage of the Dragonblood Warrior.

Jhin narrowed his brow and murmured.

"So. If you've returned… that means Magritte's back too."

"You dare speak his name so carelessly."

"Hey, Arman."

Jhin cut him off without hesitation and asked directly:

"This 'absolute being' you're talking about—don't tell me it's Magritte?"

"...?"

"Then you're laboring under a serious delusion."

He activated the Meteorblade's skill. Red smoke was drawn in, swallowed by the blade.

Equipment 'Meteorblade of Calamity' – Exclusive Skill: Blood Suction activated.

Between the strands of blue goblin flame, thin red energy began to rise, flickering to life. The Meteorblade, now strengthened by his blood, began to resonate.

"Magritte. That damned dragon is no absolute being."

"How do you know him—?"

"Because I killed him."

"What?"

Hatchling Magritte.

He had been around level 400, perhaps.

In the A-rank dungeon Cradle of the Hatchling, Jhin had killed a proud red dragon named Magritte.

'He wasn't weak, but…'

He had not yet awakened into a true dragon. Even without a dragonslaying weapon, Jhinhad been more than enough to take him down.

Thinking back on it, he hadn't left much of an impression. Just another monster.

"That can't be... how could he—?"

"Of course you wouldn't know. You died long before that happened."

Even if Magritte had returned, there was no way he'd admit the truth. That arrogant creature would never declare that a human had brought him down.

Jhinglanced down at the Meteorblade of Calamity, his expression unreadable.

Yes. This was the blade that had killed him.

"In any case, if Magritte is the one backing you, that's all I need to know."

Of course, Magritte alone wasn't enough to explain the rise of an organization as vast as the Company.

But it didn't seem like anything greater had manifested in this world yet.

If the others had returned as well, they would show themselves eventually.

'But not yet.'

Which meant that, for now, the strongest among those influencing this place was Magritte.

Jhin looked at Arman, whose face was frozen in disbelief.

"Does that mean everyone I've killed has come back somehow?"

Judging by Arman's state, he seemed to have retained his memories. That alone was a serious problem.

'Then again, the Company did establish itself too quickly in this world.'

Their scale was larger than even Arc, which had ties to the Corelandsn government. That had always seemed strange.

A private group rising faster than an existing national system.

There had never been a satisfactory explanation for it.

'Unless they have veterans of their own.'

If it wasn't just the players who were on their second round.

If even NPCs—or high-tier monsters—were going through their second iteration...

Then their success would make sense.

"No... it can't be! Lord Magritte is the absolute ruler of this world!"

Arman roared and folded his wings, shooting forward. His flight broke the sound barrier, triggering a sonic boom.

"I told you. He's not."

BOOM.

Jhindidn't dodge.

This wasn't arrogance.

With Specter Legion and the Meteorblade of Calamity both at full strength, the force was far greater than expected.

Arman was no longer a threat.

'I might've gotten too worked up.'

At the same time, Atlas's spear pierced Arman's waist, and Lykan's club aimed straight for his head.

Small wounds began to accumulate.

"Out of my way!"

Arman's tail lashed violently, throwing Atlas and Lykan back.

But it created an opening.

SPLURCH.

The Meteorblade pierced through his scales. As the sound of slicing steel echoed, blood dripped from Arman's mouth.

"Kuh…!"

Yet, he smiled.

"...Got you at last."

"What?"

Despite the blade embedded in his side, Arman moved closer.

The Meteorblade trembled, feeding off the blood. The sword thrived on the offering, shivering with delight.

Still, Arman approached—his expression euphoric, as though dying was an honor.

"You can never defeat him. He knew your arrogance would bring you here."

"What are you doing…?"

Suddenly, Jhin's entire body was cloaked in black smoke.

Within it, he sensed the lingering will of Magritte.

Arman—he was trying to consume him.

Dragonblood Warrior 'Arman' has activated the Power of Predation!

"For the glory of Lord Magritte!"

"Grgh…!"

Then Jhin spoke.

"You really thought that would work?"

BANG!

A gunshot rang out. A magic bullet slammed into the side of Arman's head, powerful enough to warp even his dragon-scale armor.

Arman reeled in confusion.

But that wasn't the real threat.

"Let's go!"

A man charged forward and grabbed Arman's tail with both hands. With a wide swing, Arman was smashed brutally into the ground.

BOOM!

Even then, he didn't seem to realize what had just happened.

Jhinshook off the darkness still clinging to his body and muttered irritably.

"See that? If Magritte really were some great being, he'd at least know how this weapon works."

Equipment 'Meteorblade of Calamity' – Exclusive Skill: Blood Suction is active.

The Meteorblade's skill, Blood Suction, strengthened the weapon by absorbing blood.

But its secondary function allowed interference with the enemy's skill through the absorbed blood—

even illusions.

Jhin looked around at the players who had gathered again.

They were exhausted, but no one was dead.

Arman coughed blood and spoke.

"D-Don't think this is the end. The game will continue…"

What a pitiful thing to say.

Jhin furrowed his brow.

"No. There is no next time."

The Meteorblade of Calamity drove straight toward Arman's head.

"This time, I'm going to see this game through to its true end."