Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 201 - 262+263- The Emperor Who Shouldn’t Be

Bang!

Each shot fired meant one more vaccine erased from existence.

Jhin loaded another round without pause and aimed again.

Another target, another instant kill.

"At least this method works."

The virus combat system.

Ordinarily, players would have to analyze each vaccine individually—trial different strains until they found the exact one that worked.

That was the rule.

No attack would connect until the correct virus was identified.

But Jhin didn't follow those rules.

He could see it—those murky currents clustered within the vaccines' bodies. Something others would easily miss.

"Who would've thought those were the weak spots."

According to Michael's theory, those flowing knots were the vaccines' Achilles' heel.

And it made sense.

Every time Jhin targeted those invisible cores, the vaccine dissolved—regardless of virus type.

"Still holding up fine in actual combat too."

He kept up his ruthless fire on the vaccines spilling from the rift.

They were overwhelming in number—but not in difficulty.

It was almost strange—how exposing a single weak point could turn the tide so completely.

"They're… weaker than I expected."

These were Phase One vaccines, supposedly strong enough to take on B-grade monsters.

Based on level alone, he shouldn't have stood a chance.

Bang! Bang!

Even surrounded, with beams flying past his head, he kept calm.

He found it odd—how he had the presence of mind to even reflect.

"Not afraid at all."

It was surreal.

Back when he faced Cerberus in the Black Ground or fled from the one-eyed gargoyle, his heart had nearly stopped.

Now, he felt nothing.

Why?

- Target identified: Player 'Kyle'. ID Code: 0. Designated for priority deletion.

- Adapting threat level to minimum Phase Two.

The vaccines all paused—then began morphing in unison.

Some sprouted wings, others grew massive in size.

All of them locked onto him.

Jhin narrowed his eyes.

"Phase Two… huh."

They were treating him like a level 400 threat.

- Initiating data deletion.

But even now, the battle didn't feel that different.

If they had grown stronger, he'd just rise to meet them.

[Activating 'Spectral Form', exclusive skill of the Goblin King's Crown.]

He transformed—his movement swifter, his virus rounds striking dead center, straight into the weak points.

"They're Phase Two… and I'm still not losing ground."

In fact, he felt faster. Stronger.

It wasn't just a feeling.

"No… I really am growing stronger."

With golden eyes shining, he kept erasing vaccines one by one.

He hadn't been hit once. Not even grazed.

"It's like I've activated a cheat."

But checking his status window showed no stat changes.

No level-up. No EXP.

"Wait… no growth at all?"

He paused.

That can't be right. I did get bonus stats when I escaped Black Ground…

Frowning, he fired his last round.

Bang!

The final vaccine fell. The rift was still now.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around the field.

Thankfully, thanks to Hyden and the other players' foresight, most civilians had already been evacuated.

"This should hold for now."

Hyden jogged up to him, grinning despite the chaos.

"So it really was you.Kyle."

He laughed sheepishly.

"Guess I talked big for nothing. Sorry for saying I'd protect you."

"No offense taken."

"You can leave this sector to us. Maybe check on the coast?"

"…You sure?"

"Come on, don't treat me like a kid. I've been around longer than you."

"Hmph."

Jhin ruffled the boy's hair again and turned toward the shore.

That side still concerned him more.

"They've probably reached Phase Two or beyond by now."

There was a reason he hadn't rushed to the front lines earlier—his presence triggered mass evolution.

He'd seen it: not just one or two, but the entire horde upgrading to Phase Two as soon as they locked eyes on him.

"This strange surge in my strength… and the frozen status window… they must be connected."

But by now, he didn't need to hold back.

He left the civilians in Hyden's care.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

"Don't worry. We got this."

As the boy returned to his post, Jhin activated his movement skill, bounding to the rooftop.

With his martial-style agility, hopping rooftops was no issue.

He reached the coastline quickly.

What he saw—

"…This is bizarre."

A battlefield without blood.

Explosions. Screams. Blazing hostility.

And yet nothing left behind.

Bang! Bang!

Beams and bullets lit the field. It looked more like a sci-fi war film than any game.

Every skirmish ended in erasure.

"Jhin!"

Michael spotted him, firing a few cover shots.

Jhin dropped into the trench, landing beside weary players.

Michael called out,

"What about the town? Why are you here?"

"Cleaned it out. It's safe."

"...I see."

Michael nodded, reloaded, and resumed firing. His motions were pure muscle memory—precise, effortless.

His virus targeting was near flawless.

He could isolate the vaccine's weak point in just two shots.

"Is he aiming by instinct?"

That couldn't be luck. Every bullet Michael fired struck the very flow cluster inside the vaccine.

No wonder they had held this front line so long.

"How's the situation?"

"…Honestly? We're out of options."

Michael bit his lip, watching the endless swarm of vaccines advance.

Hundreds. Still coming.

Their virus supply, on the other hand, was almost gone.

All the bombs, all the strategies—they had bought only a sliver of time.

"God, there's just so many."

And the player count was dropping. One hit from a vaccine's beam meant instant erasure.

Even veterans weren't immune.

Jhin frowned.

"Feels like some kind of hell-difficulty tower defense game."

"…Would be nice if it was just a game."

With bitter laughs, they reloaded and kept shooting.

That was all they could do.

Pull the trigger.

Take down even one more.

"Just hold a little longer! Once the evacuation's complete, we'll pull out too!"

"Yes, sir!"

They kept firing.

How long had they fought?

The air stank of smoke and blood. Jhin's head throbbed.

And then—

A shift in the enemy ranks.

Jhin squinted.

"No way…"

[Skill 'Danger Sense (A)' activated.]

Alarms rang in his mind.

A surge of dread rushed through his body.

"Everyone, fall back! It's not safe!"

But before anyone could move—

- You wretched players. Like cockroaches, crawling back again to interfere in this world.

From the center of the battlefield, a figure appeared—like a mirage, stepping from nowhere.

A new form. Human. Fully realized.

He radiated calm malice, scanning the field.

The next stage of vaccine evolution?

But… that face.

It was familiar.

Before Jhin could place it, the figure approached—and grabbed his face.

No chance to resist.

- It's been a while…Kyle.

"…Melvin? The Emperor?"

- I knew you'd return.

"What are you doing here?"

Jhin swallowed dryly, his memories catching up.

The man before him—once a mere NPC—now stood reborn like a vaccine.

"The Emperor of the Alon Empire…"

Jhin met his eyes.

"How did you end up like this?"

- Do I need a reason? A failed world is ripe for rewriting.

The emperor laughed bitterly—then his gaze sharpened like a dagger.

- Though this is partly your fault.

"…What?"

- Your cursed talent doomed this world to collapse.

Before he could respond, the emperor swung his blade.

A slash—fast and wide.

A dozen players—warriors who had fought so long—were cut in half.

Just like that.

Michael stared in blank disbelief.

It had happened too fast.

Jhin clenched his teeth.

"What's your goal? Why kill us? After all you tried to protect—why now?"

- I already told you. This is your fault too.

Enough. Jhin raised his gun and aimed at Melvin.

"I don't care about your delusions. The server shut down wasn't my fault."

He was a victim too. His five years of effort—gone.

All that remained were three parting gifts.

- You really know nothing, do you.

"…What?"

- Well, of course. The game's just begun for you. Ignorance is to be expected.

Melvin whispered something to himself, then raised his hand.

All around the field, the vaccines froze.

Total stillness.

Drenched in silence.

- I don't enjoy killing you so easily. Even I find that distasteful.

"…?"

- Such meaningless deaths would disgrace my son's memory. I'll grant you one more chance.

Jhin narrowed his eyes.

Melvin met his gaze—dead calm—and unsheathed his sword.

…When did he move?

A crushing pressure fell upon him, suffocating.

Of course.

The Emperor of Alon, Melvin Alon—was once considered the strongest NPC in the game.

And Jhin?

He was just barely above C-rank.

There was no winning this fight.

Melvin grinned.

- Get stronger.

What followed—no one could've predicted.

Not even Jhin.

Danger Sense didn't trigger.

His Soft skills didn't warn him.

SLASH—!!

Blood erupted from his neck.

The world flipped upside down.

"What… is this…?"

His head—cut clean.

- I'll judge your cursed talent myself.

[You suffered a lethal ambush.]

[Player "Kyle" has died.]

It felt like a dream.

「Dad… I don't think I can do this.」 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

A cozy living room bathed in warm hues. The kind of ordinary family home that could've been cut from an old film reel.

'…This place…'

In a scene now faded in memory, a young Jhin sat across from his father, holding out a toy he'd tried to assemble on his own.

「Hold on a sec… Looks like this part's the issue.」

「Huh? How did you fix that?」

「Jhin. Are you sure you read the instructions carefully?」

The scene unfolded like a cinema reel made for just one viewer, in seamless first person. Jhin watched the memory unfold as if cradling a cherished keepsake.

'Dad…'

The child tilted his head, answering with all sincerity.

「Of course! I even double-checked it…」

「Then why won't it power on?」

「…Did I mess up the assembly?」

His father tousled his hair. His callused hands were rough, hardened from years of work.

Only now could Jhin notice—there were wounds held together with dried glue, the cracks of labor visible in every joint.

「You did well. If there's an issue… it's probably because you didn't put in the batteries.」

「Huh? I thought I already did!」

「Well, it's empty.」

The boy pouted, eyes glossy with frustration, and his father ruffled his hair again, smiling.

「Jhin. Whenever you don't know what's wrong—start from the basics. Go back to the beginning.」

「Huh?」

「Sometimes, the problem's as simple as forgetting to put in the batteries.」

The bittersweet scent of an old memory slowly faded like mist.

Jhin floated in midair.

What could he even call this place?

Before he could define it, a flood of memories surrounded him.

Joyful, gentle childhood recollections clashed against the hardships and pain of his later years.

Drifting on the tide of recollection, he found himself sinking into pitch-black underground.

The air there reeked of blood.

"Aaaaggghh!"

A scream shattered the silence—and like an old film filling with color, the scene began to sharpen.

Jhin spotted someone.

Who… is that?

"Speak up! You wanna die, huh?"

"Gghhh…"

"I said—TALK!!"

Someone, bound in chains, was being beaten with a whip. Blood soaked him head to toe—it was clear his condition was dire.

"No answers, huh?"

Grumbling, the jailer tossed the whip aside and picked up a glowing hot iron rod.

And without hesitation, he branded the man's skin.

"Ghhhaaaahh!"

"…Stubborn bastard. I said TALK!"

But no matter the torture, the prisoner only screamed—never gave in. In fact, the tormentor seemed more exhausted than the one being tortured.

"Shit. Where the hell did this one come from?"

Then the dungeon door creaked open.

Several people entered and circled the man.

It didn't take long for Jhin to understand.

These were NPCs.

The ones currently known as the "fanatics."

"Did you get anything?"

"No. He's damn stubborn. We even peeled his skin, and he still wouldn't crack."

"Click. This is a problem…"

The jailer bowed.

"Please give me more time, Sir Bell. I promise I'll get the location of the kill switch out of him."

"You get one day."

"Understood."

The one called Bell gave the bloodied man a cold stare, then exited the dungeon without another word.

What remained were the jailer—and the prisoner.

"Come on, Ike… Can't you just make it easier on both of us, huh?"

The jailer gripped the iron again, and the torture resumed. It went on and on, until the man—resilient to the end—finally passed out.

"Wake up! You could end this if you just talk!"

Water splashed over his face. He jolted awake.

From the shadows, Jhin silently watched, a frown deepening on his brow.

And then he heard a name.

A name that froze him in place.

'…That's Ike?'

The one lead the Administrator left him.

The highest priority in this world.

Find the NPC named Ike.

'But how… Why is Ike here, like this?'

Trying to make sense of it all, Jhin retraced his memories—only to suddenly remember the very last thing he saw.

His body collapsing, blood spurting from his neck as the world turned upside down.

'Right. I died.'

He pulled up the system log.

There it was: the message confirming his death.

'…So I really did die.'

But somehow, he was alive again.

That was strange.

Or rather, it should be strange.

But now, he realized—maybe it wasn't so impossible.

Because it wasn't Jhin who died.

[Player 'Kyle' has died.]

Jhin scowled.

"So this is Exodia 1… which means it was Kyle's life that got used."

Ridiculous as it seemed, it was the only thing that made sense.

He remembered the first time he entered this world via the backdoor. The system had displayed:

[Player 'Kyle' has logged in.]

So the one here now wasn't "Jhin," but "Kyle."

And Kyle had at least two lives remaining.

'But my stats and skills didn't change…'

Of course the skills hadn't—his prized "Sealed Book," which stored every one of his shutdown rewards, had been taken to Exodia 2. Without it, his skill tree had been reset.

But stats?

That was different.

If he had logged in as "Kyle," there was no reason for his stats to remain at Jhin's weak levels.

Suddenly, it clicked.

"…That's why they evolved to Phase Two."

Jhin's normal build was barely equipped to handle level 200 monsters.

Yet the Phase One vaccines could fight monsters at level 300.

And the Phase Twos?

They were built to defeat level 400 threats.

And he had been wiping them out.

Even with the advantage of exploiting weak points, that shouldn't have been possible.

"My real stats were in effect without me realizing it. Which triggered the vaccines to evolve higher."

It explained everything.

Why the vaccines upgraded the moment they saw him.

Why his attacks hit harder. Why he was stronger, faster, steadier.

He wasn't operating as Jhin anymore.

He was Kyle.

And Kyle… was on a completely different tier.