Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 177 - 217+218 - The Blade, the End, and the Flight Ahead

'You have defeated Dragonblood Warrior 'Arman.

'You have completely eradicated a part of the hidden force threatening New Capital!

'You have acquired the title: 'Adventurer Who Uncovers Truth.

Reduces the effectiveness of illusion-type skills by 10%.

Arman's body was cleaved apart in a single blow.

For a creature that had devoured so many, the battle's end had come almost too easily.

It was a hollow conclusion for such a monster.

Looking down at the corpse, Jhin swallowed hard.

They had infiltrated the enemy's base and killed one of its commanders—

And yet, there was no overwhelming sense of victory.

It was, if anything, a bitter affair.

'If Magritte is alive… if every bastard I've killed has returned…'

It was one mountain after another.

He thought he had pierced the heart of the Company—

But perhaps he'd done nothing more than scrape the dirt beneath their toenails.

Damn it.

This game really was garbage.

'So I've been dancing for a chimera made by a hatchling dragon... Tch.'

Irritation surged in his chest.

The Dragonblood Warriors were nothing more than chimeras, the result of a young dragon's whim.

And yet, how many humans had fallen to such things?

Jhinforced down the bitter taste rising in his throat.

There was no point lingering on it.

'You have acquired equipment: 'Wings of the Dragonblood Warrior.'

Still, the notification message blinking before his eyes slowly pulled him back from that spiral.

Rewards were always sweet.

Especially rare ones like this.

'Wings of the Dragonblood Warrior, huh?'

<Wings of the Dragonblood Warrior (Special Part)>

Allows free flight for 10 minutes.

A simple description.

But the meaning behind it was far greater than it appeared.

'So I can fly.'

The ten-minute limitation wasn't an issue—

Because nothing was consumed during flight.

'It literally means I can fly freely for ten full minutes with this equipment alone.'

In future battles, flight could be used strategically.

Even Kay from Exodia 1 had never achieved something like this.

And the rewards didn't stop there.

'You have successfully cleared the dungeon: 'Fantasmic Ferry (D).

You have gained a large amount of experience.

Level up.

Level up.

…

Level up.

A total of seven levels gained.

For a D-rank dungeon, that was a massive reward.

It must've been due to the high difficulty of defeating a being like Arman.

The monster had consumed countless humans and players.

Perhaps the experience points from each of them had been pooled together.

'In that case, they could've given more gear…'

Jhin brushed aside the lingering regret and deactivated Blood Suction.

In the short time he'd been distracted, the sword had consumed quite a bit of blood.

What an ungrateful weapon—trying to end things without recognizing its own master.

"You did well, Mr. Jhin."

Millie was cooling her revolver, which still radiated heat from her magic bullet.

Bellatris and the other players were also watching him.

As if expecting something.

Jhin gave a faint smile and said,

"You all did too."

Despite the complications, the first operation in the lunar dungeon campaign had been a success.

They had cleared one of the Company's mobile strongholds: the Fantasmic Ferry.

After completing the sweep of the Fantasmic Ferry, the group set out immediately.

They moved against the current of the High river, sailing toward the sea.

The cruise ship carrying the dungeon passed beneath several bridges.

"We've checked everything inside. No survivors. All Company agents are dead too. There's no more threat in this dungeon."

Fortunately or unfortunately, no other fights followed after Arman's death.

The monsters had been eaten by Arman, along with the Company agents.

The result was cleaner than a professional cleanup crew.

From Arc's perspective, they had simply defeated a single boss monster—

and walked away with the entire dungeon.

Time was already in short supply.

It felt like someone had paid a fortune to hit the skip button.

"At this rate, we'll reach the ocean without issue."

As promised, they brought aboard scientists and technicians waiting at a rendezvous point.

Their destination: a small uninhabited island in the West Sea.

The cruise ship, carrying the hopes of many, moved westward with the rising sun at its back.

"…But this news about Magritte's survival. Was Arman really the one behind this dungeon and the Company's operations?"

Of course Bellatris and Millie knew of Arman.

They had once fought beside him in dungeon raids—

and had been betrayed more than once.

The resentment still lingered.

Magritte was the same.

They had tackled the hatchling's dungeon together.

"If that red hatchling is really behind the scenes… we'll need to revise our strategy."

"I'll leave that part to you."

Jhin looked down at Kimmy, the black dragon shivering under the sunlight.

For now, he resembled a tiny kitten—small, round, and oddly cute.

But anyone who had seen the true black dragon Arman would know—

there was nothing cute about him.

"We need to find a dragon weapon—faster than we did in Exodia 1."

Bellatris nodded.

"No need to worry. I'm working on a large-scale community for players to communicate and share data."

"…A large-scale community?"

"Yeah. I'm sure someone claimed a dragon weapon as a shutdown reward."

That eased his concerns.

As long as they had a dragon weapon, dragons were not unbeatable.

'This isn't Exodia 1—no ancient dungeons, no sealed relics. Not a fantasy setting.'

In that sense, "shutdown rewards" seemed to shape the balance of this entire world.

Even items previously thought impossible to obtain were being discovered.

And as long as they could be found—there was a way to clear anything.

Then Bellatris spoke.

"Come to think of it… Arman, that bastard. Didn't he say 'See you again' when he died?"

"…Yeah. I thought it was the start of a hidden quest. Spent weeks digging through data about him."

"Was that really a promise to see me again?"

The words escaped in a bitter sigh.

Damn him.

So much for seeing each other again.

At that moment, Millie—gazing into the distant western sea—spoke up.

Her eyes, sharp like a hawk's, could see farther than anyone else.

"We're approaching a flagged zone. Everyone, get ready."

"…Right."

Bellatris had to step away to coordinate the players.

At best, it meant assigning the mages to defensive positions throughout the ship.

Oh—

Had she even brought part of the magic array that had been embedded in Arc's defensive walls?

A large formation was beginning to materialize, one that would blanket the entire cruise ship.

The crashing waves kept disrupting the array's lines, but it was better than nothing.

Millie remained beside him.

She inhaled the cold morning air deeply, then spoke.

"By the way, we're finally approaching the moon."

"…Yeah. After all that talk about dragons, thinking about the moon really brings things back to reality."

Jhin looked up.

The moon hung in the broad blue sky, massive and unmistakable.

It only seemed to grow with time.

Now, it looked like something out of a CGI film.

BOOM.

Soon, the cruise ship reached the flagged zone—an area known to be inhabited by monsters.

The sea was littered with pools of crude oil, black as tar, evoking the image of a dead, rotting ocean.

Thousands of dead fish floated along the surface.

'There was a time when even a minor oil spill would trigger global panic...'

Now, unless someone came all the way out here, no one would even know this part of the world had become like this.

He remembered a novel once describing global disasters as the planet's immune response—its attempt to rid itself of humanity.

But judging by the way oil sloshed on the sea, it looked more like Earth was punishing itself.

Jhin's eyes tracked the likely source of the spill: a sunken tanker, along with several broken-down fishing vessels.

Their remains drifted, shattered and adrift in the surrounding waters.

Around them, whirlpools churned.

As expected, this was a Sea Serpent Nest.

"…At least they're not approaching the dungeon."

Players who had come up to the deck to take in the view let out a breath, easing their tension.

The whirlpools churned nearby but did not draw closer.

But then—

KRAAAAAGH!

A sea serpent surged through the waves, opened its massive jaws, and bit into a drifting wreck.

Its jaws clamped down on the rear of the wrecked ship and dragged it underwater in a single motion.

The threat was undeniable.

"…"

The players said nothing but swallowed hard.

Had they not been aboard a mobile dungeon, their ship would have met the same fate.

It was enough to rattle even the most seasoned fighters.

Yet, despite their fears, the ship passed safely through the Sea Serpent Nest.

One by one, everyone exhaled in relief.

"…All right. I think we can call this area clear."

As they continued westward, the crude oil began to thin.

A stretch of clearer, blue ocean appeared.

Nedroum Island came into view.

And then Dean gathered the group.

"Now the real work begins. We've got only twenty days left. That's all the time we have to launch a spaceship to the moon."

It was not going to be easy.

No matter how brilliant the scientists aboard were, launching a moon-bound spacecraft within twenty days was nearly impossible.

"But we have to try. No one here survived all this just to die now."

Was it meant as a joke?

He laughed, but when the mood didn't follow, he scratched his head awkwardly.

Then he said,

"Let's prepare for docking. The current's strong, so be careful."

With tension on their faces, the team readied themselves and directed the ship toward a small uninhabited island beyond Nedroum Island.

It was about the size of four football fields.

The ship approached the island without issue.

Dean, powerging logistics and directing the crew, suddenly turned to Jhin and asked,

"Um… Mr. Jhin?"

"Yes?"

"What exactly are you doing right now?"

During docking, Jhin hadn't been assigned a particular task.

Other players were already handling everything that required effort or coordination.

But that wasn't why Jhin was asking.

"I thought I'd go hunt for a bit."

"…Hunt?"

"Yeah. And test this item's performance while I'm at it."

Equipment: Wings of the Dragonblood Warrior activated.

You have begun ten minutes of free flight.

Jhin's body rose into the air.

Wings—unreal, yet undeniably present—unfolded from his shoulders.

"What… is that?"

"Just going for a quick flight."

Without another word, Jhin sliced through the sky.

Toward the east.

The wind was stronger than expected, but it posed no obstacle.

KRAAAAGH!

His target was close.

"This might be reckless. But to be honest, I wasn't ready to leave you guys without saying goodbye."

He climbed slightly in altitude.

Then pointed downward, gathering Powerinto his hand.

Skill:Fireball(F)activated.Skill: Fireball (F) activated.Skill:Fireball(F)activated.

A sphere of flame dropped from the sky.

Just one might not be enough.

So he dropped several more.

As expected, the flames struck the oil-covered water and exploded violently.

Thick smoke rose.

Screams followed—sea serpents.

Even the whirlpools were engulfed in flames and oil.

Ironically, fire and water burned together as one.

[You have gained experience.]

But Jhin wasn't finished.

Holding his breath, he dropped altitude.

Flying just above the flaming sea, he targeted the sea serpents as they emerged.

SPLAT.

[Level up.

You have acquired the title: 'Adventurer Who Ravages the Sea.]

The Water Spirits dislike you.

Let them.

He didn't care.

He couldn't afford to let a single level slip past him—

and wiping out the sea serpents came first.