Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 202 - 264+265 - The Kill Switch

The kill switch.

The only command capable of erasing an entire world.

It was about two weeks after Michael had entered this world that he first learned of the kill switch's existence.

"There was a time I captured a fanatic by chance. That's when I found out. That the fanatics were searching for something beyond just the players."

That something was the kill switch.

For some reason, NPCs weren't just kidnapping players and handing them over to the Vaccines.

They were also scouring the Exodia, ceaselessly chasing after the kill switch.

"It's absurd, I know, but they genuinely believe that only by finding the kill switch and wiping out this world can they save their own lives."

Jhin furrowed his brow and looked at Michael.

He couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

"They think their lives will be spared by erasing the world? Is that even possible?"

It was a paradox—completely contradictory logic.

But even Michael didn't have a clear answer to that. He simply shrugged.

"Who knows. But I think the Vaccines made some sort of promise to them."

No one could say for sure what sweet words the Vaccines had used to manipulate the NPCs.

But thanks to that, Michael began to understand the fanatics' strange behavior.

And slowly, even the seemingly ridiculous idea of a "kill switch" started to feel real.

"So we started our own investigation. If the kill switch truly exists, we have to find it before they do."

He had his own goal in mind.

To find the kill switch—and hide it deep within Paradise.

If he could do that, then the Vaccines would never be able to trace its location. The world would never be erased.

After all, the only reason the Vaccines kept catching them was because they kept opening portals and stirring up the entire Exodia.

That's when the man who'd been silently listening beside them—Tim, who had just been arguing with Michael earlier—suddenly burst out in frustration.

"Captain. That's enough. Don't you get it yet?"

"Get what?"

"Why are you constantly risking everything chasing after something that might not even exist? Can't you see that you're the one putting us in danger again and again?"

Tim's tone was accusing.

"The kill switch never existed in the first place. It was a lie—something the Vaccines made up to incite the NPCs and draw us out of Paradise!"

His expression was desolate.

"This is already the third version of Paradise we've had to rebuild after it collapsed. Dozens have died chasing after that stupid rumor."

Michael said nothing in return. Tim only grew more agitated.

"Fifteen people died this time too. Even ones who should've come back to life didn't. Captain, don't you get what that means?"

He paused. Then spoke, grimly.

"It means the enemies are now strong enough to stop our resurrection altogether. And you still want to open another portal? I'm not going through with it. That's suicide!"

Players who should have respawned, but didn't.

Jhin suddenly recalled the group of players who had vanished at the hands of the Emperor.

'Could it be them…?'

If this was something that hadn't happened before, there was a high chance it was because of the new arrival—the Emperor.

Now, Jhin could see why these people were so afraid.

And at the same time, a quiet realization struck him.

'I nearly died too.'

If the Emperor hadn't changed his mind on a whim...

If he hadn't shown mercy...

Jhin might have had his head sliced off and been erased for good.

'What happened after that, anyway?'

Did everyonePowerge to escape the Vaccines?

At the very least, judging by the survivors gathered here, it was clear some had lived through that hopeless moment.

It was then that Michael, who'd been silent for a long time, finally spoke again.

"Even so, we can't stop searching for the kill switch. If it really exists, then even Paradise could be erased in an instant."

"You're seriously saying that... without a single plan in place?!"

"Even if there's just the slightest chance—if there's any possibility—we have to step out and investigate. That's the only way we survive! Why don't you see that?!"

The two men's stances showed no signs of meeting halfway.

Michael's insistence on preparing for the worst,

Tim's conviction that it was all a trap—

they clashed head-on, heated and unrelenting.

And they were both convincing.

The debate continued, round and round like a broken record.

Eventually, the intensity of their argument seemed to ebb just slightly—maybe because neither side could settle on an answer.

Michael took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, then turned to Jhin.

"But tell me—why are you asking about the kill switch?"

"Ah... well."

Jhin gave a sheepish smile.

The truth was, their entire debate had been meaningless from the start.

He'd just kept his mouth shut because the two had been so fired up.

Now, with all eyes on him, Jhin finally said the words that would put an end to it all—quiet, but clear.

"I think... I may have found the kill switch."

After that, Jhin shared the experiences he'd had after dying—

leaving out only the parts related to his personal memories.

The man who had been tortured in some underground place.

The one likely responsible for pulling him into this world via the backdoor—a man he suspected might be the Administrator. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

And how the NPC he was told to find… was that very same man.

Michael let out a breathless laugh.

"Did you just say his name was Ike?"

"You know him?"

"Of course. He's the one who created Paradise in the first place!"

Jhin furrowed his brow, focusing on Michael's words.

The more he listened, the more he realized—

Ike had been far more deeply involved in the creation of Paradise than he'd thought.

Michael nodded to himself, murmuring,

"No wonder I always thought something was off. For an NPC, he knew way too much about how the system works."

Jhin could tell what Michael was thinking.

Ike's accomplishments weren't the kind of things an ordinary NPC could have achieved.

There could be only one conclusion.

"Ike himself is the Administrator."

But most of the other players, aside from Michael, didn't seem fully convinced.

Tim, in particular, was quick to reject it.

"I'm not trying to call you a liar, but… don't you think that sounds a little too far-fetched? No player has ever experienced something like that after dying."

It was a claim he could believe.

After all, he had felt stronger—and though the status window hadn't reflected it, his combat performance had definitely gone up.

As more time passed in that prison cell, a brief window opened when the jailer left.

"...Kyle. Is that you?"

"What?"

"Thank God. I was afraid it might be too late."

Jhin narrowed his eyes and looked at Ike.

With bleary, bruised eyes, Ike met his gaze directly.

"You can see me?"

"...Of course. I was the one who called you."

What on earth was he saying?

Before Jhin could ask, Ike spoke again, his tone filled with urgency.

"There's no time…Kyle, you must go to the Black Ground. Immediately."

"...What?"

"If things go on like this, this world will be erased. You're the only one who can stop it."

The words made no sense.

But as Jhin watched him, he recalled something his father once told him.

"When things get complicated, simplify it. Start from the beginning."

He couldn't grasp the full situation yet, but if nothing else, it seemed best to listen for now.

Ike pressed on.

"Please… go to the Black Ground and find the 'kill switch' I hid. You have to save this world."

But then the world flickered and vanished.

"What did you say? Ike? What kill switch?!"

His body, floating slightly above ground, was pulled downward again—as if sinking.

No—he was waking up.

"Ike! What do you mean, kill switch?! Ike!!"

No response. No matter how many times he called, it was pointless.

Just as suddenly as he had entered that place, he was now being pulled from it.

['Revival timer' has ended.]

[Player 'Kyle' has logged in.]

[!]

[Temporary error resolved. Loading data for 'Kyle'.]

[All locks have been released.]

"...I'm telling you!"

"But still, we…"

"I can't go on like this!"

Jhin opened his eyes slowly to a world buzzing with noise.

His senses sharpened gradually, his body sluggish as if recovering from anesthesia.

Then he laughed softly to himself.

That damn Emperor.

Did he know even this would happen?

[All locks have been released.]

Even without reading the floating message, he could feel it.

His body surged with overwhelming magical energy.

It felt like he could vaporize a mountain with a single strike.

And the wild part was—he probably could.

The release of Kyle's restrictions meant one thing:

The total revival of Jhin's five-year legacy.

In short—he was no longer just a former top-ranked player.

He was Kyle.

Not in name only, but in power.

"The real deal—back in the game."

His skills may have been wiped, but the stats—those S-rank Dungeon-clearing, endgame-conquering, top-tier stats—were fully restored.

It felt like becoming a god overnight.

And the voices that had felt right next to him earlier? He realized they were actually coming from far away.

That was the result of Kyle's heightened hearing.

Jhin turned and walked toward the source.

"How much longer do we have to live like this—always trembling in fear?"

"Please, let's calm down."

"Build, rebuild, build again! I'm sick of it! What's the point if it's just going to fall apart again?!"

A man, face flushed with rage, shouted at Michael, who tried to calm him with upraised hands.

"You know as well as I do that we have no other choice."

"...So we're just going to live like this forever, Captain? Doesn't it make your blood boil?"

"It does. Of course it does…"

Michael clenched his teeth.

"But there is no other way."

His answer, tinged with despair, silenced the room.

It was clear the anger stemmed from shared helplessness.

"Let's stay strong, okay?"

"...Fifteen people died this time."

"I know. But if we don't rebuild our defenses, next time it'll be a hundred and fifty."

Michael's voice lowered.

"As long as they don't find the kill switch, we can keep surviving. Even if it's like cockroaches... at least we're alive."

Watching from afar, Jhin felt like a sledgehammer had struck the back of his skull.

"The kill switch…"

That word—he had just heard it from Ike.

And now from Michael.

Without hesitation, he approached.

"Jhin?"

"Captain Michael."

"You really made it out alive! I knew you would!"

"...You knew?"

Michael beamed and answered brightly.

"Well, we're players, right? At minimum, we all get three lives. Everyone here's died at least once."

"Ah…"

"So the rumors were true.Kyle's account had extra lives remaining. Thank god."

Thinking back, Jhin realized that even the others here—if their accounts were from Exodia 2—wouldn't have stood a chance against the vaccines.

Meaning they'd all died once too, which would've unlocked their primary accounts.

"Still, I was worried, just in case. You never know what bugs might pop up."

"Right…"

Which meant that Jhin had only one life left now.

He nodded slowly and looked at Michael.

"But Captain… did you just say 'kill switch'?"

"Huh?"

"What is it exactly?"

The moment he asked, the atmosphere shifted.

Silence. A frozen stillness hung in the air.

Michael exhaled and finally answered.

"You should know. I should've told you sooner, and I'm sorry I didn't."

"It's okay."

Michael looked him in the eye and spoke clearly.