Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 204 - 268+269

Ike suddenly turned to Jhin and asked,

"What is it? Why are you smiling?"

"Ah… sorry. No particular reason. It's just… kind of funny, seeing that you're not all that different from us—even as an Administrator."

"Did you think Administrators were something special?"

"Oh? So you really are the Administrator, huh."

He'd been fishing—and Ike had bit.

Silence followed.

Jhin glanced over and saw Aurora nodding firmly beside him. With that, he turned back to Ike.

"Good. Then let's get serious."

"About what?"

"First of all, don't worry about the Black Ground. If they were looking for you, did you think we wouldn't prepare for that?"

Jhin's eyes narrowed with sharp intent.

"But more importantly, I have a question for you, Ike."

"...?"

"I want the truth."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"What is this world?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I want you to explain what this world actually is."

To be honest, that was the one question he'd always wanted to ask an Administrator.

A few months ago, this was just a game he enjoyed playing.

Now, it was reality.

Why had the world become this way?

'Even though this is real now, it still has Vaccines, viruses, rollbacks, backdoors, bugs… all the mechanics of a game.'

Had he fallen into the world of a game?

Or had his real world become a game?

He didn't know anymore.

Ike sighed deeply and replied.

"It's nothing complicated. Just the 114th failed world, now collapsed."

"...114th failure?"

"Didn't you know? The Earth you live on is Exodia number 115."

Jhin let out a hollow laugh.

"I thought it was number 2."

"Well, that's your system's naming convention."

Suddenly, he remembered: when he'd entered this place, it had connected him to Channel 0114.

And Earth, the real Earth, was Channel 0115.

"Mr. Kyle—no, Jhin. This world is simpler and more complicated than you think."

"Yeah… it does feel that way."

"That's all I can say. Even if this world has already shut down, if I say more than that, the system will catch me."

"Huh?"

"I have no desire to be deleted just yet."

He'd held his breath this long—but then, suddenly remembering something, Ike snapped his fingers.

"Well, this actually works out."

"What?"

"Mr. Jhin, there's something I wanted to formally request from you. You could call it a 'quest'—to make it easier."

That was when the system message appeared before his eyes.

It was absurd—but proof enough that Ike really was the Administrator.

<Quest – Ike's Request>

Category: ?

Difficulty: ?

Condition: You are in a collapsed world. This task can only be completed by you. Fulfill the condition and you will be rewarded.

Time Limit: ?

Reward: Entry into Channel #0115

Upon Failure: Death

The most important part was the reward.

'Entry into Channel 0115?'

According to Ike, Earth was the 115th world being "challenged"—also known as Channel 0115.

In other words—

"There's a way to return to Earth?"

"Of course. I prepared it in advance, just in case you came through the backdoor."

"That's… impressively thorough."

"Well, I can't allow failure on the 115th attempt."

Jhin fell silent, his gaze fixed on Ike as he steadied his breath.

Before celebrating the reward, he needed to understand the conditions first.

"And what are the requirements?"

"Simple. You just have to help me back up this world's data and transfer it to Earth."

"...Back it up?"

Jhin furrowed his brows, and Ike responded with a more cautious tone.

"It's something only you can do, Jhin. If you pull this off, I promise not just you, but all the players will be sent back to Earth."

The players nearby—who had been listening in—suddenly let out a cheer.

It was a moment that had once seemed impossible, now finally within reach. Their excitement was understandable.

But Jhin remained calm.

"All the players, you said."

"Yes. Then I'll consider the quest accepted…"

Ike extended his hand for a handshake—

and once again, the system message appeared:

[Would you like to accept the quest?]

[Yes / No]

The flashing message practically demanded an answer.

Jhin narrowed his eyes, quietly dragging the window aside.

Then he looked Ike in the eye and asked,

"Tell me the specifics."

"...As I said: backup. I'll convert Paradise into data and hand it over to you. You'll hold on to it until the time comes—then upload it into Channel 0115."

"You'll need to be more specific than that. You're being way too vague."

The players nearby looked visibly uneasy.

They seemed nervous that someone was speaking so directly to the Administrator.

Even Michael looked cautious—

Tim and Hyden didn't say a word.

They were practically blending into the shadows.

Fortunately, Ike didn't seem offended. Instead, he spoke with a clear voice.

"Maybe it's coincidence, maybe it's fate… but you're already the 'Goblin King.' You've already collected the exclusive equipment."

"Wait—what does that have to do with anything?"

"I just want to borrow a section of your Goblin Mask. Nothing more, nothing less. Just until the one-year mark, when the next major update happens."

The Administrator extended his hand once again.

"Is that enough of an answer? We don't have time. We need to move and find the kill switch…"

"I've decided."

Jhin cut him off, folding his arms as he spoke.

"I decline."

"...What?"

"I'll say it again. I'm rejecting your offer."

It must've been the last thing Ike expected.

Around him, the players wore the same expression—

staring blankly at Jhin, utterly caught off guard.

A precautionary act—copying original data ahead of time in case of unexpected errors, bugs, or viruses.

Jhin understood exactly what Ike meant by "backup."

'So, he wants to transfer the data of Exodia 1—this doomed world—into Earth, which is Exodia 2.'

He understood the intention.

It made sense, in a way.

There was no salvation here.

And when a safer world lay just ahead, of course anyone would want to escape to it.

But... 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

'A backup might be nothing more than a time bomb waiting to explode.'

Even with good intentions, could the outcome still be guaranteed?

To Jhin, this "backup" might bring disaster to Earth instead of hope.

'We'd be transferring the data of a world overrun by viruses and Vaccines. That's far from normal.'

After all, backups are meant to be done before a world breaks down—not after.

And now they wanted him to bring that ticking bomb back to Earth?

'That's just too dangerous.'

And really, it wasn't just the backup that bothered him.

It was the man standing in front of him.

'Can he really be trusted?'

Jhin studied Ike silently.

He had a kind face—but that didn't change the fact that he was the Administrator of this world.

Was this man really on the players' side?

Was he truly a force for good?

'I can't be sure. So I need to make sure.'

Ike, stunned, asked with disbelief.

"Why… why are you refusing this? Don't you want to go back to Earth?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why…?!"

The other players looked just as baffled.

Their faces showed nothing but confusion and disbelief.

But Jhin remained calm as he looked around at them all.

"I'm grateful you saved me. And truthfully, I do want to help you, Ike."

"...And yet you're still saying no."

"Yes. Because this is a separate issue."

He couldn't let personal feelings trigger a global threat.

He furrowed his brow.

"At the very least, I need to be sure that whatever's backed up won't cause any harm to Earth. I'm not in the business of carrying bombs across worlds."

"That's…"

"Is that impossible?"

Ike exhaled slowly, and after a short pause, finally gave an answer.

Fortunately, it was the one Jhin had hoped for.

"...No. You're right to ask. You don't need to worry. The data from this world won't be able to harm Earth in any abnormal way."

"And how can you guarantee that?"

"Because Earth is a formallyPowerged world. If anything goes wrong, the system will respond before the Vaccines even have to."

Jhin stared at him for a moment…

and then gave a small nod.

He understood what Ike meant.

In a properly maintained game, bugs aren't dealt with like they are here in Exodia 1.

'They don't run around spraying Vaccines.'

They delete.

They reset.

They cut.

In Earth's system, if the backup ever became a problem, the system itself would erase it on the spot.

That, at least, resolved the first major concern.

"And one more thing…"

"There's more?"

"Yes. This one's personal—but I'd like to request one more reward."

Jhin's eyes lit up faintly as he looked at Ike.

"I want information."

"...Information?"

"About the next official update. If you share that with me, I'll accept your quest."

He remembered what Chance had said back at Bey World.

Back then, he'd clearly warned Jhin to be careful.

'Filtered information…'

That's what he needed to uncover.

Even if Ike was only the Administrator of Exodia 1—he was still an Administrator.

Surely, he knew something.

And indeed, after a moment of hesitation, Ike replied.

"It's a bit early to talk about it… but it's not something I can't share. Fine. Is that enough for you?"

"If you've got anything else you want to throw in, I'll gladly take it."

"...Tch. Fine. You really don't let anything slide, do you. You are a former top ranker, after all."

Jhin gave a bitter smile and glanced at the revised quest window that appeared before him.

<Quest – Ike's Request>

Category: ?

Difficulty: ?

Condition: You are in a collapsed world. This task can only be completed by you. Fulfill the condition and receive your reward.

Time Limit: ?

Reward: Entry to Channel #0115 (+safe backup protocol), information about the next official update

Upon Failure: Death

It looked like he'd muscled his way into a few extra rewards—almost like a hustler.

But in this game, that was normal.

In Exodia, what was written in the quest window was never the full story.

And if you didn't ask, you didn't get.

That was how this world worked.

Better to be thorough now than regret it later.

Then, Ike asked him quietly:

"...Were you being serious, by the way?"

"About what?"

"About refusing. Without my help, it would've been very difficult for you to return to Earth. Were you really planning to say no?"

Administrator Ike.

He really was the key to returning home.

He was the only one who could open the gate to another channel.

Yes.

That much was true—on the surface.

'But Administrators aren't gods.'

In this dead world, what Ike hadPowerged to do amounted to hiding a kill switch… and tucking away a few NPCs into a fake paradise.