Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 166 - 195+196

Chapter 195 - The King’s Command

Adonis drove his blade straight through the belly of the oncoming Lizardman, his breathing ragged. Blood gushed out, coating his hand in thick crimson, but there was no time to care about that.

He yanked the sword free and swung again.

The battlefield was nothing but a constant cycle of brutal combat. As long as he still had breath, he had to keep fighting—again and again.

But perhaps he lost focus for just a moment.

He couldn’t block the spear that struck deep into his shoulder.

"Guh...!"

And then—

The air above him suddenly burned hot. A small black dragon soared overhead, vomiting a stream of black fire across the battlefield.

It was Kimmy—the pet Jhin had left behind.

Screeeech!

The path the black dragon carved through the enemy caused the Lizardmen to stiffen like they’d frozen mid-motion, as if caught in a glitch.

It was the perfect opening.

The Horn Tribe warriors seized the moment, pouring sharp strikes into the frozen enemies. It gave them just enough breathing room.

"Huff... A-Are you alright?!"

Covered in blood, panting heavily, was Lutz—the spatial movement user in Adonis’s unit.

"Just hold on a little longer!"

He hurried to Adonis’s side and began applying a special potion. The wounds sealed rapidly, and though the pain still lingered, Adonis gritted his teeth and asked,

"...What’s the situation?"

"The worst. We’re barely holding on thanks to Kimmy, but everyone’s at their limit."

The numbers were overwhelmingly against them.

The Lizardman warriors, while not particularly strong individually, had sheer volume on their side. Meanwhile, the Horn Tribe warriors, though formidable one-on-one, were worn down by exhaustion and attrition.

Adonis knew they couldn’t last much longer.

"We have to hold out just a bit more. We’re already on the fourth condition... Just a little longer."

He didn’t know what the conditions were, but he did know there were five in total.

If they could fulfill all five, they’d win this nightmare of a battlefield.

But victory felt far away.

Boom!

A massive Lizardman appeared from one side, launching a Horn Tribe warrior high into the air. He plummeted back to the ground and didn’t get up again.

A break in the line.

The Horn Tribe’s formation, barely holding, began to falter—and the pressure shifted even more onto the Ark players.

Lutz powerged to retrieve the injured warrior using teleportation, but there was a bigger problem.

"If I treat this one, we’ll only have one potion left."

All their potions had been entrusted to Lutz, given his spatial abilities—but with so many battles and injuries, they’d nearly run out.

Adonis bit his lip hard.

"We can’t go on like this. I need to see for myself."

"...Sir?"

"We’re going up."

Maybe realizing Adonis’s intent, Lutz nodded and grabbed him. They launched into the air with spatial teleportation, rising roughly 30 meters above the ground. From up there, the Lizardmen horde came into view—more of them than expected still flooding in from behind.

They hadn’t even reached the front line yet.

"This is suicide."

"...All we can do now is hope Jhin pulls it off."

"No. I don’t think he’ll make it in time."

As they began to descend again, Lutz used another teleport to return them safely to the ground. Looking out at the Horn Tribe warriors locked in desperate combat, Adonis spoke firmly.

"We’re going into the colosseum."

"...If we do that, we’ll be dragging the Lizardmen in with us."

That was what they had been trying to avoid all along—keeping the Lizardmen from reaching the colosseum, blocking the path at all costs.

Adonis shook his head.

"If we stay here, we’ll be wiped out."

Their potions were gone, and the warriors were exhausted. Forcing them to hold out any longer was simply unrealistic.

"This place is too open. Fighting inside the colosseum might give us an advantage."

Whatever dangers the colosseum might hold, it couldn’t be worse than staying here waiting to be overrun.

But then—

"...What is that?"

Scanning the battlefield, Adonis spotted something rising into the sky. It wasn’t something a Lizardman would’ve fired.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

From above, like fireworks exploding, a strange object burst in the air, scattering white smoke that spread rapidly across the battlefield.

"What the hell..."

― [You have been infected by ’Spore Virus’.] ―

"...What?"

In an instant, a thick white fog swallowed the battlefield, obscuring everything in sight.

For a moment, Jhin’s thoughts whirred like a supercomputer running simulations.

Spore King. Extender of Jealousy.

There was plenty of information on that title. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

And when he read the message stating the fifth condition had been met—and that Nazoral had claimed the Dragon’s Seal—it all clicked.

"Damn it...!"

Beyond the now-transparent sphere, Nazoral had already stepped inside, walking calmly toward the Dragon’s Seal.

There was no way to intervene.

Whatever spell or trick he’d used, only Nazoral had fulfilled the dungeon’s fifth condition.

The group with the highest number of living entities in the dungeon... was Nazoral’s spore virus.

So then, what’s the best move I can make in this situation...?

His mind raced.

If Nazoral took the Dragon’s Seal, he could already see what would unfold.

What would happen to this dungeon?

So many thoughts. But only one action.

Fwoooosh!

A Fireball split the air—thrown by Jhin just before Nazoral could lay his hands on the Seal.

But it didn’t hit Nazoral.

It hit Atlas.

BOOM!

Singed slightly, Atlas reeled back in confusion, turning toward Jhin.

At that moment—

― [You have intentionally performed a ’Team Kill’.] ―

― [This action goes against the quest.] ―

Simultaneously, Nazoral placed his hand on the Dragon’s Seal.

― [The Spore King, ’Extender of Jealousy: Nazoral’, has claimed the Dragon’s Seal.] ―

― [Nazoral can now issue absolute commands to all within the dungeon.] ―

Everything stopped.

The battle between the Lizard King and Atlas froze mid-motion. Lizardmen, Horn Tribe warriors—they all stood still, like statues.

Because Nazoral had given a command.

"...Hmm. So this is what it feels like."

He stepped out past the now-faded transparent wall, satisfaction on his face. Like a god descending to earth, he issued his first order:

"Kneel."

RUMMMMBLE.

Chapter 196 - The One and Only Way

Forced down by absolute authority, the Lizard King dropped to his knees. Atlas, too, collapsed, both knees hitting the floor.

It was a command that simply couldn’t be refused.

Nazoral approached slowly—toward the kneeling Jhin.

"Kyle. In the end, you really weren’t much, were you?"

"...Kgh."

"I allow you to speak."

Nazoral looked down with condescension, his expression steeped in arrogance. Extender of Jealousy... The moment Jhin saw that title through the system’s message, he understood everything.

"You... were jealous of me."

"...What?"

"You really envied Kyle that badly?"

Nazoral’s lips twitched. As if unable to contain himself, he raised the Meteor Blade of Calamity, aiming it at Jhin’s shoulder to stab down—

But Jhin’s fist flew faster.

[Combo Skill ’Fire Explosion (F)’ activated.]

BOOM!

Nazoral took a direct hit and was hurled backward, bouncing across the floor several times before powerging to regain balance. Groaning, he looked up and shouted—

"...How did you break free of the binding?!"

"There are plenty of ways to slip past system restrictions. I’m a player."

Unlike NPCs who were shaped and governed entirely by the system, Jhin was a player—a being logged in to play this world. The more he understood the system, the easier it became to find its cracks.

Nazoral’s expression twisted with realization.

"So that’s why... you attacked Atlas."

"Not nearly as sneaky as your method, though."

Jhin’s gaze lifted—smoke drifted into the colosseum, carried on the wind. It was clear what spell Nazoral had used in this dungeon.

"You really thought you could steal the fifth condition... just by dispersing the spore virus."

Well, technically, Spore Virus was a kind of living organism. The only parasitic monster born from dungeon breaks in the Garden of Death.

"You did use your head, I’ll give you that."

Activating Vital Strike to full power, Jhin blitzed toward Nazoral. Nazoral met him with the Meteor Blade, trying to deflect—but it was no use.

"Gh—! Impossible...!"

Another punch smashed into Nazoral’s face, sending him reeling again, his voice full of disbelief.

Only a week had passed.

That was all.

And yet, the skill gap between them—once relatively close—had shifted to a clearly one-sided beatdown. Jhin had soared ahead.

"A week is long enough to change even the face of a mountain."

Fwoooosh! BOOM!

A Fireball, packed to the brim with power, slammed into the ground, carving out a crater.

Nazoral narrowly dodged, but he couldn’t keep up with Jhin’s relentless assault under Vital Strike.

"Plenty of time for a class advancement, too."

"...You class changed?"

"That’s right. Took you long enough to realize."

The ironic part?

This war—the chaotic battlefield—had been the very thing that propelled his explosive growth.

A place overflowing with Lizardmen. Endless mob hunting opportunities. And given Jhin’s still relatively low level...

It was a feeding frenzy of EXP.

"You... You just class changed! How the hell!?"

"I told you already. I’m Kyle."

"You bastard—!!"

Jhin’s fist buried itself into Nazoral’s abdomen. He followed with another quick dash forward and launched an uppercut right into Nazoral’s jaw.

Still, the man didn’t go down.

His level must have been absurdly high. Even after taking dozens of brutal hits like a high-resilience sandbag, Nazoral remained standing.

"Damn, you’re stupidly tough."

And then it happened.

"UAAAGH! Stop him! Somebody—stop him!!"

Nazoral’s desperate scream triggered something dangerous.

RUMBLE!

Two sharp spears suddenly barreled toward Jhin, their speed and force like a violent storm crashing down.

"...!"

Even with Soft skills and Vital Strike, avoiding them wasn’t easy. And the sheer shock behind those attacks—

CRACKLE!

Jhin was thrown back, barely catching himself before falling.

But the attacks didn’t stop.

...I was hoping Nazoral wouldn’t realize it.

That’s why he had overwhelmed Nazoral with nonstop physical blows from the start—to keep him from thinking, from making the connection.

It was why he kept punching Nazoral in the face, over and over.

But with one shouted command, Nazoral had flipped the entire situation.

The Lizard King and Atlas...

That single phrase—"Stop him!"—had activated two of the dungeon’s boss-tier beings simultaneously.

Atlas let out a strained groan.

"Ugh... my body..."

"Don’t resist. Your brain might rupture."

And he wasn’t kidding.

Atlas’s skull was glowing a furious red, on the verge of exploding. Trying to reject a system-issued command was causing catastrophic feedback.

"...He saved my life. I can’t—!"

"I already hit you in the back of the head. It’s fine."

"Kgh...!"

BOOM!

Even when dodging, the residual shock still accumulated in Jhin’s body. Rapid Regeneration was doing its best to keep him standing—but how long could he hold out?

Once his power dried up, Rapid Regeneration would stop functioning.

"Ahahaha! What a pathetic sight!"

Nazoral, now relaxed and confident again, bent one of the Horn Tribe warriors over and sat on the man’s back like a throne.

"Kill him. He dared to defy me. Let him pay."

As that chilling command fell, Atlas and the Lizard King’s strikes turned sharper, faster, deadlier.

Two monsters, each hovering around level 200.

There was no way to endure their onslaught.

"Hrrrrgh...!"

Finally, Jhin was forced to reach for his trump card.

[Equipment Skill of ’Goblin King’s Crown’: Activating ’Phantom Legion’.]

In an instant, ghostly armor formed around him—an ethereal suit wrapping his coat in dark steel. Spirits drifting nearby were pulled into the armor, reinforcing him with their essence.

He barely powerged to block one combined strike from Atlas and the Lizard King.

KRAAAAAANG!

...Shit. One hit, and all the souls got shredded.

This was no joke.

Level 200 monsters were on another level.

Still, the brief gap that followed gave Jhin precious seconds to think.

I need a plan.

Ideally, he’d defeat both Atlas and the Lizard King... and take Nazoral down afterward.

But let’s be honest.

That’s impossible.

The strategy needed to change.

If I could just separate even one of them...

And right then—

He felt it.

A powerful surge of will from the Hundred Ghosts. From Lykan and Rocket, in particular. A fierce resolve: they were ready to give their lives for this moment.

Looking at Atlas, who was rushing in again—

A spark of inspiration jolted through Jhin’s mind.

...There’s a way.

A single method to overcome this nightmare.

And just now—his eyes had seen the one tiny loophole that could shatter the system’s chains.