Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 187 - 237+238 - The Rollback Gambit

Jhin had seen firsthand how bugs were handled in this game.

Minor ones? Ignored.

Tolerable ones? Deleted.

And the ones too big to handle? They triggered a rollback.

That rule hadn't changed, even if the world had become a game.

Then it's possible.

Rollback.

A system that isolated a region and reset it to an earlier state when a critical, unmanageable bug occurred.

And as luck would have it, Jhin knew exactly how to trigger such a critical bug.

A catastrophic one.

And with that method—

"We can stop the moon from crashing into Earth."

"…Is that actually possible?"

"Yes. There's already a precedent."

His eyes met Millie's. She seemed to realize what he was getting at just then.

"Bey World."

"Right. We'll turn this place into another Bey World. Then the rollback will trigger for sure."

"…And the dungeon will reset."

Back then, everything that had undergone dungeonization in Bey World had been included in the rollback zone.

In other words, any region affected by the dungeon was subject to isolation.

This moon is the same. It's falling because it's under the dungeon's influence.

If they reset this dungeon—

Then the entire moon would be included in the rollback.

And once that reset completes, the moon likely won't be in Earth's orbit anymore.

"If we succeed with the rollback, we can prevent the moon from colliding with Earth."

But Millie pointed out a flaw.

"This place is already a dungeon. That's different from Bey World, where the dungeonization was still in progress."

In Bey World, the rollback was triggered when the dungeon boss was killed at the precise moment the dungeonization completed.

But here… this was already a fully-established C-rank dungeon.

She had a point.

Still—

"It should be fine. That bug originally occurred when the dungeon boss was killed right as a dungeon break began. It'll happen here too."

The key point was just one:

Nothing more, nothing less—

Slay the dungeon boss at the exact moment of the dungeon break.

"To be clear, the only drawback is that we'll have to clear the dungeon again once it resets."

Even after a rollback, it wasn't possible to return to a time before the dungeon had appeared. It would likely revert back to a C-rank dungeon, restarting the countdown to its next fall.

Jhin let out a bitter smile.

"But that's still better than nothing."

"..."

"It means we get one more chance."

The game they thought was over…

Had a hidden bonus coin.

And if they played it right, they could stop the catastrophe.

Jhin clenched his fist and stared into the thick, enclosing darkness ahead.

"It's not over. Not yet."

It took about ten more minutes of walking before they found the boss room.

[You have discovered 'Saun's Blood Den.']

The air was thick with the metallic stench of blood. The faint glow of the dungeon walls made it visible, but the chill in the air made their skin crawl.

And in the center of the room—

A dwarf with a ghostly face was tapping a small mirror.

The master blacksmith, Cobb.

"…Jhin?"

"Are you all right?"

"How are you here…? When did you even… get that blacksteel suit…"

His eyes were hazy, voice disoriented. Something was clearly wrong. Maybe some kind of psychic attack—his pupils were red, unfocused.

Even as he mumbled, his hands continued tapping the mirror—no, the relic.

It was like he was being controlled.

The relic…

According to the quest timer, there were six minutes left before the relic shattered completely.

They weren't too late. Yet.

But then—

KUKWAKAKAKANG!

An attack struck without warning.

"I noticed Red Cell's presence vanish. So it was you bastards after all."

"…Saun."

Goat-like horns sprouting from his head.

Razor fangs ready to rip through anything.

A thickly muscled torso.

And wide, outstretched black wings.

He wasn't massive, but he was all too familiar.

Because this wasn't their first time meeting him.

[Boss Monster 'Saun, Blood of the Demon' (C) discovered.]

He had been a boss in Exodia 1 as well—though back then, he had been a B-rank version.

Looks… cute now, in comparison.

Not that he was actually small.

Saun still stood at a towering 3 meters. For a dwarf, one would have to crane their neck just to see his face.

But the B-rank version he remembered?

Over 30 meters tall.

Compared to that, this one really was bite-sized.

Saun snarled, his eyes wild.

"Fools. You dare walk into your own deaths!"

Dark red magic surged from the goat horns atop his head.

It was unmistakable: demonic energy.

Jhin called out to his team.

"Everyone, stay sharp."

"Huh?"

"That guy's a vampire who drank demon blood. Avoid getting corrupted by his magic."

Saun of Demon's Blood.

A vampire who had literally drunk the blood of demons and could wield demonic energy—"magi."

An incredibly difficult enemy.

"Drown in blood! Blood Shower!!"

Saun swept his cape and thrust out a hand. Dozens—hundreds—of blood-colored spikes formed mid-air and rained down on the team.

KRAKAKAKAKAK!

The party scattered and began counter attacking with their own weapons.

First was Lutz's magic.

"Get buried! Stone Shower!!"

A similar spell to Saun's. Dozens of stone spikes formed like drill bits and crashed down toward the boss's head.

RUMBLE—

Dust clouds erupted, masking the battlefield.

But the blood-red glow of magic from his head still shone through.

Jhin dashed in and swung a powered punch—using the blacksteel suit's brute strength for a max-damage blow.

But—

"…Is that all?"

A calm voice emerged from the dust.

And then—a hand emerged.

It caught Jhin's fist. Clean.

As if it was nothing.

"Disappointing."

KWAANG!

Jhin was thrown across the floor like a rag doll after a brutal hit to the gut.

Even with the blacksteel suit on, that one attack had shaved off a full third of his health.

It was a monstrous blow.

"Haaah!"

Millie lunged with her rapier in a flash of steel.

But the problem was that his defense was insanely tough.

Not even a scratch.

Saun kicked at her with a vicious sweep.

"…Urgh!"

Jhin's brow furrowed.

The difference in power is too big.

Sure, he was just a level 120 blacksmith wearing a special suit. He'd never expected to solo a boss monster.

But Millie was playing as Count Camriel—a pure combat class—nearing level 200.

And yet they couldn't even land a single proper hit?

Unacceptable.

There had to be a reason why Saun wasn't even trying to dodge.

He was too confident.

"Tickles," Saun sneered. "You humans are pathetic."

The monster retaliated once more.

Blood-red spikes rained down from the sky, and this time, Saun charged forward, fists swinging.

Lutz, too slow to react, was slammed into the wall with a cry.

"Khahahaha!!"

With crazed laughter, Saun caught Millie and twisted her body into an unnatural shape.

Too fast to avoid.

"Damn it…!"

Lutz struggled back to his feet, casting magic to push Saun back, but the monster shrugged it off.

Every spell hit dead-on. And still—zero damage.

KWAANG!

Something's wrong.

This guy was a C-rank monster.

No matter how strong a boss, how could he be completely immune to the attacks of a level 200 combat class?

If that was really the case, the game was completely broken.

Forget rollback—this thing needed to be deleted.

There was only one explanation for this.

We're using the wrong strategy.

Jhin's eyes scanned the boss room.

There was still a quest they hadn't resolved.

To defeat him, we need the relic.

Just like how "Red Cell," the elite monster, had to be drawn out with light magic,

"Saun" too likely required a specific method.

A special item.

The relic.

Without hesitation, Jhin acted.

"Master!"

"…Huh?"

He snatched the relic—the mirror—from the confused dwarf.

If his theory was right, this relic was key to killing the boss.

[The relic is sealed.]

Jhin grit his teeth.

…A seal, huh.

Saun, watching him closely, suddenly appeared before him.

Had he figured out Jhin's aim?

Dodging the monster's strikes by the skin of his teeth, Jhin shouted:

"We need to unseal the relic! It's the only way to kill him!"

But Saun gave him no room to breathe.

Even the blacksteel suit couldn't completely block the attacks that rained down on him.

His health dropped like unraveling thread.

A few more hits and he'd be dead.

Then—

"…Tempah?"

"You were right. I've got to follow my own path."

"What are you talking about?"

"Doesn't matter. You focus on your part. I'll handle mine."

Then Jhin noticed something glowing faintly beneath Tempah's feet.

…An aura?

It made no sense.

That rainbow-colored aura was the effect of a skill gained only by clearing a hell-difficulty quest—a powerful, radiant mark.

But Tempah was currently sealed, locked in the NPC role of Violeta. He shouldn't be able to use any skills.

How is he doing that?

And then, something incredible happened.

A new form overlaid Violeta's body—one almost as massive as Saun himself.

But the pressure it exuded was on a completely different level.

[Due to an uncontrollable surge of willpower, 'Player Tempah's seal' is temporarily released.]

[Player Tempah activates the skill 'Unity of Body and Mind.']

Tempah—overlapping himself onto Violeta's body—entered the fight.

In an instant, Saun, who had been playing with them, suddenly found his movements hindered.

His hands, his feet, no longer flowed as easily.

For the first time—they had an opening.

So that's what Unity of Body and Mind could do…

It was a skill meant to unify heart and flesh.

And apparently, when the desire was strong enough, it could even forcefully break the system's seal.

Jhin had no idea how it worked.

But right now, that wasn't important.

He can't hold him off for long. I've got to unseal the relic now.

Jhin withdrew from the battle, gripping the mirror that still radiated sacred energy.

S-rank destruction skills… That's the key. To break the seal or destroy the relic itself…

And Jhin, conveniently, was the only blacksmith with an S-rank destruction skill.

"The only problem now… is how exactly do I unseal this thing?"

As he narrowed his eyes and stared into the mirror, something unexpected happened.

–The Chosen One! The Chosen One!

…What?

–I've been waiting so long! Finally! Nice to meet you! I'm Aurora. What's your name, Chosen One?

It wasn't just the dwarf's reflection anymore.

From within the mirror—a face peeked through, bright-eyed and brimming with curiosity.

So it really was special… but this…

He'd expected the relic to be important. But not like this.

And yet, maybe deep down, Jhin had already suspected it.

After all, every theme dungeon had to have its "role."

Something—or someone—essential.

Yes.

He'd been wondering when they'd finally show up.

[You have encountered NPC 'Aurora, Relic of Truth.']