Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 197 - 255+256- Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Jhin let out a crooked smile as the words floated quietly through his mind, watching the players ahead vanish one by one.

Aurora tilted her head and asked curiously,

"Suitable one? What's Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?"

"…It's nothing. Michael was just joking."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Let's just follow them."

Without hesitation, Jhin stepped forward—right into the empty air, where the sea stretched open beneath his feet.

The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a wave of warmth rushed over him.

It wasn't the bitter chill of Black Ground. It was heat—thick and humid, even.

Following close behind, Aurora scrunched her brow and muttered,

"What even is Platform Nine and Three-Quarters? Isn't this just a portal?"

"It is. A portal."

"…Huh?"

"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters is basically a portal too."

A term borrowed from a well-known novel—it referred to a hidden "wormhole," a passage that only wizards could use to reach their school. Their own kind of portal.

Jhin glanced sideways and asked,

"You've never seen Harry Potter?"

"Harry… what?"

"Michael was just being playful. It's a line from a book. That's all."

"…Hmmm. Maybe I have seen it…"

Still frowning, Aurora looked up just as the light around them suddenly changed. She raised her hand to shield her eyes. When she lowered it again, her breath caught.

"Woaah… What is this place?! Suitable one, what is this place?!"

Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Jhin swallowed quietly.

This place…

Before them lay a white sand beach lined with rows of swaying palm trees.

People lounged under the sun. Vendors walked the shore, selling drinks.

Aurora ran gleefully toward the sea, dipping her hands into the water.

"Suitable one! It's real! It's an actual ocean!"

"…Yeah."

"Ugh—salty! This is real seawater!"

"Y-yeah. I can see that…"

Jhin gave a slow, bewildered nod. Honestly, the contrast from where they'd just come from was so extreme it was hard to believe it even with his own eyes.

Captain Michael, who had gone on ahead, noticed them and called out,

"Well? Pretty amazing, right?"

"…Yeah. I didn't expect this at all. I figured, maybe, a hidden hideout at most."

"I was stunned at first too. There's a reason people call this place Paradise."

Paradise.

Jhin nodded slowly. That word… it suited this place all too perfectly.

He let out a short, hollow laugh.

"…It really is peaceful here."

The usual shadows found on faces in an apocalyptic world were nowhere to be seen.

Couples splashed water at each other along the shore. Families laughed together. Others watched the scene quietly, basking in the healing calm of it all.

And beyond them, buildings with picturesque, pristine architecture rose like something out of a Greek island resort.

Was this really Exodia?

He had to wonder—had he ever seen such a stark contrast in any world?

Coming here straight from the ruined wasteland of Kanubis only made the difference more surreal.

Michael nodded.

"Well, this is the last safe zone. It should be peaceful."

"…The last safe zone."

"Either way, welcome. I can't tell you how reassuring it is to have someone like you here, Jhin."

He turned to greet the group of players who had accompanied them on the field mission. They stood at attention, waiting for instructions.

"Great work on today's mission. Get some rest. There'll be a full meeting tomorrow morning—don't stay out too late."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh—and Hyden. Just to be safe, check in with the infirmary. Don't forget your potions."

"Understood."

"All right—dismissed!"

As the group dispersed, Michael turned back to Jhin.

He pointed to one edge of the beach.

"Shall we take a look around the city?"

"…Can I?"

"Of course. It'll be your home now too."

They strolled leisurely along the shoreline, and as they walked, Michael began explaining the various parts of the city.

"This is the commercial district. You'll do your shopping here. And if you've got anything to sell, head to the central guild."

Stalls were lined up with all sorts of goods.

Players and NPCs alike bartered, browsed, and haggled. Even rare and exotic items were on display.

At one corner of the market, Michael bought three skewers of roasted chicken, still sizzling from the flame.

"Three, please."

He handed two of them—bright red with spicy glaze—to Jhin and Aurora.

Aurora took hers with an exaggerated grin.

"Yum~! Suitable one! This is so good!"

"…Chew before you talk. That's disgusting."

She devoured the skewer, then immediately started scanning the stalls for more food with sparkling eyes.

It was amazing how weak she became in the face of snacks.

Maybe she'd starved to death in her past life.

Jhin chuckled softly at the carefree air that hung over the place.

"…What even is this place?"

"I told you. Paradise."

"…Are you sure this is okay?"

"Absolutely. Like I said, it's the only safe zone left. You don't have to worry here. And remember—" He winked. "—you crossed Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to get here."

Jhin stared at the man who was now grinning wide.

Michael scratched his head sheepishly before adding,

"…Didn't realize you didn't know the reference. Anyway, even the vaccines can't reach this place. It's not even on Exodia 1's map."

"A place that doesn't show up on the map?"

"Yes. It seems like this city was created after the service ended."

A city hidden even from the map—one so well hidden that not even the vaccines could find it. Could it be that even the system itself couldn't detect this place?

Frowning, Jhin asked,

"Is that really possible?"

"Well, it must be—otherwise, it wouldn't exist, would it?"

Michael gave the kind of answer only someone unconcerned could give, then led them next to a rather lavish-looking inn.

"Picked this one for the view."

It overlooked the sea.

Out on the distant horizon, where Black Ground—or what was once a fallen world—should lie, the water shimmered like gemstones in the sunlight. It was hard to believe such a place could exist in the same world.

Michael handed him a key.

"Rest here for the night. We can talk more in detail later. I'll excuse myself for now."

"…All right."

With quick, light steps, Michael disappeared down the path.

Left alone, Jhin quietly stared out at the sea, where waves lapped gently at the shore.

An emerald ocean.

If Exodia had never appeared in the world, maybe someday he might have come to a beach like this just for a vacation.

A quiet laugh slipped out of him.

From the bed, Aurora rolled over and looked up at him.

"Suitable one. You know that Captain Michael is still lying, right?"

"Yeah. I know."

"Then why aren't you saying anything?"

He continued staring out at the peaceful city, and shrugged.

"…Because I've never been to a resort like this before. Part of me wants to enjoy it a little longer."

"Part of you?"

"The other part figures… he must have his reasons."

Aurora looked at him for a while, then shook her head. She added, almost to herself,

"Oh, right. Suitable one, I need to correct something."

"What now?"

"I just remembered. That thing from Harry Potter—it wasn't Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. It was Dock Nine and Three-Quarters, wasn't it?"

Jhin stared down at her, silent.

Late at night.

The moon hung faintly in the sky, and the only sound was the quiet crash of waves.

As expected, under cover of darkness, Michael slipped quietly into Jhin's room.

"…You're still awake."

"Of course. I figured you'd come."

Without so much as a lantern, Michael checked the room, then reached for something.

[Soundproofing Magic Circle has been deployed.]

[For the next 30 minutes, no sound will escape this area.]

He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke.

"The more I think about it, the more fascinating it is. Jhin… do you already know something?"

"I wouldn't say that. I just made a guess."

Even now, this place called Paradise felt utterly out of place.

Could such a perfect, peaceful city truly exist in a world teetering on the edge of destruction?

Jhin dismissed the idea immediately.

"Exodia was never a game about healing. There's no such thing as paradise here."

The world had already been mostly destroyed.

Could the so-called "last safe zone" really be safe? Or was this one of those cities already in its death countdown?

Jhin leaned toward the latter.

After all, if the "god" that was the system itself wanted to wipe this world out, then just being left off a map didn't mean you were safe.

He looked out the window again.

The peaceful scene outside—still too surreal, too perfect—seemed more like a dream.

A sandcastle built on ruins. The kind of sandcastle the tide could sweep away at any moment…

Michael finally began to speak in earnest.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the full truth during the day. Certain words are considered forbidden here."

"…Forbidden?"

"Yes. People want to live each day as if it isn't their last."

He gave a bitter smile as he continued.

"So we seal away everyone's memories. Except for those sent on outside expeditions, no one remembers what's happening. Not unless certain conditions are met."

"…That's possible?"

"It is. I don't know why, but there's an item here in Paradise that lets us do it."

Michael looked at Jhin with quietly weary eyes.

"Either way, I can't tell you how relieved I am that you came here now."

"What do you mean?"

"The truth is… for the past month, the vaccines have been acting strange. Fanatics showed up in Kanubis, and we started seeing vaccines in scattered areas of Black Ground."

He said that there were hardly any survivors left in this world now—outside of those living here in this city, nearly everyone else had been erased.

"The moment those monsters run out of things to hunt… this city is the only place left for them to turn to."

"…So you're saying an invasion is coming?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"I can't rule it out."

A sandcastle, he thought.

He'd already assumed it wasn't going to last—but a sandcastle about to be hit by a tidal wave?

Jhin clicked his tongue lightly and asked,

"What's their fighting force like?"

"Estimated? At least several hundred."

"Several hundred orbs…"

Jhin exhaled slowly.

He remembered vividly how hard it had been just to survive against one.

A monster that erased everything it touched—and now they were facing hundreds?

But then Michael corrected him.

"They're not just orbs. I mean several Phase Three vaccines, at minimum. Phase One is just what they were before."

It was the worst thing he'd heard yet.

Hundreds of those overwhelming monsters.

If they marched on this city—what then?

"Of course. They were born to delete this world. That's only natural…"

He felt a more fundamental question rise.

"Can we stop them?"

"We have a plan. But I can't say for sure. One thing is certain—if we can't, we'll die."

Jhin's gaze drifted to the weapon at Michael's side.

That gun.

He'd seen it take down one of the supposedly invincible vaccines.

A weapon that could kill something that erased anything it touched…

"That gun… it can deal critical damage to the vaccines, right?"

"Yes."

Michael placed the gun on the table and looked him squarely in the eye.

"I'll tell you everything I know. That's why I brought you here tonight."