Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 193 - 249+250

How had it come to this?

"Damn it! Why's he so fast?!"

"After him! Don't let him get away!"

Hyden's breath came in ragged gasps as he tore through a dark alley.

He vaulted over broken debris, legs pounding as fast as they could carry him.

"What are you doing?! You can't even catch a single kid?"

"You wanna get erased? Is that what you want?!"

The ground gave out beneath him.

With a sharp grunt, Hyden tumbled forward, his body scraping against jagged wreckage strewn across the path.

Pain flared across his arms, his knees, his ribs.

But he clenched his teeth and forced himself upright.

If he stayed down, he would be caught—and being caught meant only one thing.

It's over.

That thought, already repeated a hundred times in his mind, rang out once more as he shoved strength into his legs.

He ran, with every last scrap of will.

"Stop right there!"

Shhhaaaang—!

A sound like the wind being torn open.

Hyden leapt to the side without even looking back. An arrow screamed past where he'd been just a moment before.

That one had been close.

"Shit, what an annoying skill he's got!"

"Just keep firing! One's bound to hit!"

Damn it.

Was it because he yelled at his parents that morning?

Because he borrowed money from a friend and never paid it back?

Maybe the mistake had started the moment he woke up that day.

Damn it… damn it, damn it, damn it!

Hyden.

Nineteen years old.

The last image he remembered of Corelands was a perfectly ordinary walk to school.

He lived far away—bus ride took about fifty minutes.

He had to get up earlier than most.

But he hadn't needed to leave quite so early.

No, he'd stepped out before six in the morning because he'd had a big fight with his parents the night before.

"Is it really that hard to buy your son a long padded coat? Is that such a waste to you?!"

He'd spat those words out, then left the house without looking back, just to avoid seeing their faces.

That morning, at 5:50 AM, he got on the first bus, watching the pre-dawn sky slowly begin to glow.

Ki-reeet… ki-reeeet…

A distant crying sound.

At the time, he thought he'd imagined it. He closed his eyes again—

And then the world tipped. His entire body felt like it had been thrown onto a rollercoaster.

"Uwaaahhh!"

When he came to, he was no longer in Corelands.

"Alley! He went into the alley!"

Hyden slammed his foot against a wall and launched himself over a pile of wreckage.

The Spirit of Wind helped him, warning him in advance of incoming arrows.

But spirit summoners always had one problem—low stamina.

"Haa… haa… hrrrk…"

His power was all but drained.

The spirits faded, giving him a wistful glance as they vanished.

He stared at the wall ahead, knowing full well—

If I had just a little more mana… I could've made it.

If only I hadn't gone to bed early yesterday because I was tired.

If only he'd spent more time leveling up.

Or better yet—if only he hadn't fought with his parents that day.

Hyden bit his lip hard.

"Hah… filthy little rat. Finally stopped running, did you?"

Behind him, a horde of NPCs gathered like a pack of wolves.

NPCs…

Characters who, in a normal game, would offer help, rewards, or the occasional quest.

But in this world, it was all too common for them to be the ones doing the chasing.

And of all people, I had to get caught by cultists!

There were all kinds of NPCs.

Exodia was known for its high NPC freedom.

Some with evil tendencies delighted in messing with players.

But these ones—these weren't even evil-aligned.

"Accept your fate."

"…Shit."

"We're pissed too, you know. Look what you've done to us."

Fanatics.

They weren't good or evil.

Among them were NPCs who had once been friendly toward players—and those who hadn't.

The reason was simple.

They hunted players to survive.

To offer them up to "them."

"You really think they'll spare you just because you do this?"

"What a load of garbage."

"They're not going to protect you, you know."

But fanatics weren't called that for nothing.

These were people who had ground away every last shred of reason in exchange for their beliefs.

Words meant nothing to them.

"Whatever. Time to catch this little rat."

Hyden saw an opening and dove to the side.

A small gap in the wreckage—a possible escape.

Shhhaaaang!

"Gkhhh…!"

The problem was, he had no powerleft.

He couldn't use spirit summoning—not even attempt it.

An arrow pierced his leg.

Right through the Achilles tendon.

They weren't just aiming to catch him—they were aiming to cripple him.

Still, Hyden hobbled forward, dragging his injured leg.

I can't get caught like this…

One of the cultists stepped forward, sighing, and strolled toward him.

With a casual kick, he sent Hyden sprawling.

Then he planted a boot squarely on his back.

"Why is it that players never seem to know when to give up?"

Hyden groaned, trying to push himself up.

The NPC pressed harder, pinning him down.

When Hyden struggled again, the cultist growled.

"Just stay down already!"

Thud!

A brutal kick to the stomach.

He couldn't breathe.

His vision blurred.

His consciousness frayed at the edges.

Then…

Suddenly, he was seeing the past.

Days full of regrets.

He never thought he'd die like this.

Please… just once. Just give me one more chance.

He wanted to do it right.

Who cared about a padded coat?

He could live without it, so long as he got to be close with his parents.

The money he owed his friend?

He'd pay it back. All of it.

So please.

If there's a god out there… just one more chance…

He'd prayed—desperately, with everything he had.

But Hyden knew better than anyone: there was no god in this world.

Or perhaps, if there was…

maybe it was this god that had made the world so cruel in the first place.

Being caught and erased by an NPC—

Even that might be part of the divine plan.

"Click. He's totally gone mad."

Hyden struggled to keep hold of consciousness. His body spasmed, barely clinging to function.

His HP bar was nearing empty. There was nothing left.

Just two more gasping breaths—

KUUUUUUNG.

A miracle arrived.

Jhin watched from above, his brow deeply furrowed.

A new player.

A strange group of NPCs.

And instead of feeling joy at seeing another human, he was frozen in place, entranced by the mystery these people carried.

He couldn't act recklessly.

I want to help him. But if I don't know what these NPCs are capable of… I might get killed instead.

This wasn't New Capital.

This was Kanubis, a frontline city in Exodia 1—one that bordered the Black Ground.

An NPC in this place…

Could very well be strong enough to take down a level 300 Cerberus without breaking a sweat.

Jumping in blindly was suicidal.

Still… a player, huh.

The kid below had an arrow in his leg, barely staying upright.

His school uniform—one Jhin recognized from a New Capital high school.

How did he get here?

Could this mean other players had fallen into Exodia too?

Well, it wasn't impossible.

If he could come here, why not others?

But then… how many are here already…?

Jhin shook his head. Now wasn't the time to dig into that question.

That could wait.

Right now—this kid was going to die.

[Activating skill: 'Soft skills (S)']

From above, he scanned the scene.

Fifteen total, including the boy.

Thankfully, they weren't too powerful.

Roughly level 200.

That was still stronger than most people from New Capital—but to Jhin, it was manageable.

Alright… Atlas, Lykan, Rocket.

From beneath his goblin king helmet, he summoned his 'Blanc'—the ghostly familiars.

They responded instantly to his mental commands, taking positions as directed.

He waited, counting.

Three, two, one…

And at zero—

[Activating unique skill of the Goblin King's Ring: 'Call of the Goblin'.]

A flicker of blue fire danced at his fingertips.

In the next instant, blue-tinged monsters burst forth across the alley, howling.

"What the hell?!"

"Monsters? There are still monsters in this zone?!"

"Why are there lizardmen here?!"

The NPCs panicked.

To them, it was chaos.

But to Jhin, these low-tier summons were just a distraction.

All I need is the misdirection.

He leapt down.

With barely a whisper, he plunged his Meteorfall Blade into the back of the NPC stomping on the student.

[Title 'Ambush Specialist' activated.]

[For surprise attacks, attack power increased by 2%.]

"Ghak…!"

It wasn't enough to kill him in one strike.

Level 200 NPCs were roughly equal in combat skill to Jhin himself.

He took a sharp breath and lifted the unconscious student.

Then, with Phantom Step ignited to full force, he kicked off one building, then another, reaching the rooftop in moments.

"He's a player too!"

"Get him!"

"Damn it! What are these lizardmen?!"

As he reached the rooftop, Rocket was waiting.

He placed the boy on Rocket's back, and just like that—Rocket sprinted away, tearing through the ruined city.

"Bastard! We'll catch him no matter what!"

"Don't let them escape! After them!"

The NPCs vaulted up after him, but they were too late.

Rocket was gone.

"Khuk—what is he?!"

"It's a goblin! A damned goblin!"

[Activating unique skill of the Goblin King's Crown: 'Phantom Menagerie'.]

Jhin became a goblin.

A perfect imitation.

He turned and met the chasing NPCs head-on, slashing and retreating in quick succession.

With Phantom Step and Soft skills both active, he outmaneuvered those climbing the walls.

BOOM!

Atlas and Lykan joined in from the sides, their motions so well-synced it looked choreographed.

They'd never practiced like this, yet they moved as one.

"It's not just one guy!"

"Did he come from Paradise?!"

"Call for Him!"

The commotion quieted as the NPCs regrouped.

Level 200 or not, they weren't stupid.

They began forming a formation.

Their power pulsed in eerie, twisted patterns—familiar ones.

Jhin narrowed his eyes.

That powerflow… I've seen it before.

His mind raced back to the Black Ground.

To that moment—

When the floating eye erased both Cerberus and the one-eyed gargoyle.

That's the same pattern…

Zzzzt…

His jaw clenched.

He bolted forward, trying to cut through the cluster of enemies before it could appear.

But—

Zzzzzhhhht!

A sphere rose between them.

[Data detected.]

He hadn't even reached them yet.

And it was already here.

[User identified: Player 'Kyle'.]

[Identification Code 0. You are marked for immediate termination.]

The sphere slowly opened like an eye.

And from within it—

A presence so cold and immense, it stole his breath.

Fear washed over him, raw and instinctive.

[Player Kyle. Your data will be erased.]

A brilliant beam of light exploded from the orb—

headed straight for him.

Hey everyone, I'm the author! Since you've made it this far, I think you're enjoying the story. I'd like to let you know that the novel is available up to the last chapter, 710, on Patreon for just very cheap price compare to here .

Patreon: levelingmonarch

patreon.com/levelingmonarch