Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 206 - 273 - Where It Ended, Where It Began

As Jhin stepped into the dungeon, a wry smile tugged at his lips while he took in the familiar surroundings.

'A failed dungeon, huh?'

If there was anything he could take pride in from his five long years of gameplay,

it was this—his near-perfect dungeon-clear record.

Even the one that had cost him a life, the infamous Tomb of the Dragon, had ultimately bowed before his persistence.

He had always treated dungeon raids seriously. And that seriousness had earned him the ultimate title—Rank 1.

Maybe it was because he'd always been a failure in the real world.

That's why he poured everything into Exodia—and achieved something extraordinary.

'And yet… this is considered a failure?'

It was hard to believe, but the evidence was clear.

If he'd truly succeeded, the world wouldn't have ended up like this.

'But I can't accept it. I'm certain I cleared this dungeon.'

How could he forget?

The final dungeon of Exodia 1.

It had been a bit tricky, yes—but nothing impossible.

In fact, it had been unusually straightforward for a final zone.

To fail there would have been absurd.

'I got the EXP, the full rewards. I even saw the "Clear" message… Is there something I didn't know?'

He glanced around. The dungeon still reeked with that damp, musty smell—probably intentional, a replica of what he remembered.

A decrepit ancient temple.

Every detail was exactly as it had been.

"Kyle, how much do you remember about this dungeon?" Ike asked.

"Pretty much all of it. It wasn't that long ago."

"Then do you remember the NPC—Hawk?"

NPC Hawk.

Jhin paused. The name stirred a memory—

a man who had helped during the dungeon raid, or so it seemed.

"If you mean that guy… yeah."

"Yes. The one who betrayed you."

Hawk had attempted to assassinate him inside this dungeon—

a surprise betrayal.

Ike gave a bitter smile.

"That's the reason it's called the final dungeon. And that betrayal… is the reason it's considered a failure."

Jhin narrowed his eyes and looked at Ike, trying to make sense of what he meant.

Ike turned the question back on him.

"Kyle, what did you do to him?"

"What else? I killed him."

Kyle in Exodia had always despised backstabbers.

He'd suffered too much at the hands of The Company, in a game full of schemers and manipulators.

Forgiveness wasn't his way.

And NPCs were no exception.

No one who tried to stab him in the back lived to tell the tale.

Hawk had met the same fate. It was what he deserved.

'After all… it was just a game.'

But then, something dawned on him, and Jhin's brow furrowed.

"Wait… are you saying the problem was that I killed him?"

"Strangely enough… yes."

It sounded absurd, but according to Ike, Hawk wasn't just some side character.

He was important. Critically so.

His death had triggered the chain of events that led to the shutdown of the entire world.

"That doesn't make sense. One NPC dies and the whole world collapses?"

"Well… it might've been just a game to you. But not to them."

Ike sighed softly.

"Every world has keystone figures—pillars that uphold its core. Hawk was one of them. Without him… this world couldn't hold."

This was the first Jhin had heard of such a thing.

That Exodia 1 had NPCs so vital they held up the structure of the world itself?

It was ludicrous.

'So you're telling me I doomed this world because I lost my temper and killed some NPC?'

Suddenly, he remembered what the Emperor had said—

that Jhin bore responsibility for the world's destruction.

So that's what he'd meant.

'You've got to be kidding me… How was I supposed to know?'

In that moment, nameless NPCs he'd slaughtered without a second thought over the years came rushing back to his mind.

Had any of them also been key figures?

'No… even if they weren't essential—what I did…'

It was murder.

They weren't just digital constructs.

They had thoughts, emotions.

They were people.

Sons. Daughters. Parents.

Families.

"Don't beat yourself up too much," Ike said gently.

"It happened because he was weak. Let's be honest—what kind of keystone gets killed by a player?"

And now Jhin understood why some had cursed his "damned talent."

Because he was too powerful.

And that power had caused the collapse.

"Kyle. It's just the past. Nothing can change it now."

As Ike walked on ahead, Jhin bit down hard on his lip.

A past that couldn't be undone.

No one knew that better than he did.

And this wasn't just about blame. He knew he wasn't solely at fault.

After all, Hawk had struck first. And most of the NPCs he'd killed had done something to deserve it.

All he had done was respond in kind.

And yet—

'In the end…'

Killing just one NPC had destroyed an entire world.

And its collapse had even affected other worlds.

Exodia 2.

His own reality turned game. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

This had been the cause.

The ancient temple seemed eerily still.

It looked just like the original—but no monsters lingered here.

The only traces were footprints, proof that someone else had passed through recently.

"It's too quiet… We're not too late, are we?"

"Let's press forward and find out."

Pushing aside their unease, they continued deeper—until they arrived at the boss room from the past.

And just as expected… they weren't the first ones there.

"Players!"

"Fanatics," Jhin said.

Tension exploded in an instant. Weapons were drawn, lines were drawn.

And among them—Jhin spotted a very familiar face.

The man noticed him too.

"You're late."

"…Emperor Melvin."

Then Jhin's eyes drifted to the ground beneath the Emperor's feet.

He couldn't remember the exact spot, but… it had to be somewhere around here.

The place where Hawk had died.

Where he'd betrayed Jhin—

and paid for it dearly.

The Emperor gave a slow, sardonic smile.

"Isn't it ironic? The place where it all ended… and the place where it all began."

"What are you talking about?"

"I like irony. Isn't that just the nature of the world?"

And then, the Emperor's eyes locked onto Jhin's.

It was just eye contact—but it felt like his gaze could gouge your soul right out.

Now that his stats had been restored, Jhin could see it.

'Forget Stage 4… I'd believe it if you told me he was Stage 5.'

The gap between the Emperor and the Stage 3 Vaccines wasn't just wide.

It was vast.