Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 40 - Tracks of the Dead

Chapter 40 - Tracks of the Dead

Meanwhile, the ’Magic Concentration’ skill Jhin had been using fundamentally required high physical durability.

It made sense.

If you delivered a powerful attack while having weak durability, you’d destroy yourself along with your opponent.

In short, unless it was just a one-time attack, you were supposed to raise your stamina too.

’With my current stats, Magic Concentration had a hard limit of about three uses.’

But if he was fighting alone, his item effect would temporarily boost his stamina to a higher level.

Meaning— he could maintain Magic Concentration for a longer period.

’In a way, it’s similar to Millie’s Burned Blood skill.’

A powerful ability, but without sufficient stamina, it would only end up eating away at the user’s own body.

«Let’s move.»

After quickly cleaning up the battlefield, the group resumed their journey.

Ideally, they would have gathered the bodies of the Grids for a simple funeral.

But there was no time for that.

Instead, Jhin bit his lip tightly, thinking of the true culprit behind all this.

’Damn Company... cockroaches.’

That familiar symbol drawn on the Trigger’s forehead.

The moment he saw it, he had been stunned.

To think he’d see that here — on Earth.

Not in a game, but real life.

’Those bastards really don’t know how to die.’

The Company.

The hidden villain group of Exodia.

A loosely connected organization, they had expanded dungeons across the continents, threatening the people of Exodia like a cancer.

And among themselves, they used a unique symbol to identify one another—

the same mark that had been on the Trigger’s forehead.

’A lightning bolt piercing through two moons.’

The reason it had taken him a moment to recognize it was simple:

because the Company had been utterly wiped out by Jhin in Exodia 1.

’They really came back from the dead.’

Jhin frowned deeply and clicked his tongue.

Their survival instincts were worse than cockroaches.

And the Company’s return posed the biggest threat to what lay ahead.

’They were the main reason Exodia’s difficulty skyrocketed.’

They were essentially NPCs aligned with the villains.

They could create quests — and use them to recruit players to their side.

How annoying had they been?

Jhin remembered how he used to relieve stress by destroying the dungeons the Company had carefully built up.

For a while, crushing the Company had been one of Exodia’s greatest pleasures.

’Of course... whether this is the real Company’s revival, or just some Player group copying them...

I’ll have to watch a little longer to be sure.’

At least, it was clear now that a group existed aiming to sabotage the Players.

And that they were behind all of this.

’Damn bastards. I’ll kill every last one of you.’

Jhin quietly hardened his resolve.

Tap tap tap!

A group moved onto the platform at a steady jog.

All of them wore masks and scanned the surroundings.

«It’s clean. Nothing here.»

«Did you check the bodies too?»

«Yeah. But, Team Leader, wasn’t this place supposed to have been overrun by the farm’s monsters?

Why are we searching for survivors?»

The subordinate honestly found it hard to believe.

Grids were difficult even for them to handle.

Would there really be a Player who could survive getting attacked by their own comrades?

«Apparently, there is.»

«Huh...?»

Team Leader Conard crossed the platform and descended to the lower level.

Several corpses were sprawled out near the stairs leading to the ghost station.

He shined his flashlight.

Bodies with their necks cleanly severed lay in eerie silence.

The sight made Conard even more convinced.

’Hyde was right.’

The Grids had their throats severed.

The fact that they bore only a single wound meant their opponent had dispatched them cleanly — without needing to exchange blows.

Maximum effect with minimal effort.

Such precision was impossible without an overwhelming difference in power.

«It really is Kyle...»

Truth was, Conard had seen him before.

That crumbling school.

He had been deployed there — only to find that it was Kyle who accelerated the dungeon break.

They lost several men that day.

How could he forget?

’He must have cleared the dungeon too.’

Millie hadn’t yet been recognized for solo-clearing a D-grade dungeon.

The only variable here could be that man.

«They said he killed the Trigger too.»

«Huh? He killed that monster?»

As the subordinates gasped in shock, Conard said,

«He’s headed toward Eastport Station.

He entered the tunnel, so we know his immediate destination —

but after that, it’s anyone’s guess.

We have to catch up before they reach Eastport.»

Of course, catching up didn’t mean launching an immediate attack.

As long as Kyle was among them, any reckless move would only backfire.

They needed the perfect trap.

This operation might as well determine the Company’s fate.

Conard loosened his stiff shoulders and continued walking.

«Huh? Team Leader.»

One of the subordinates pointed off to the side.

Toward the opposite tunnel from Eastport — where something was approaching in a flash of light.

And that something was—

«...A train?»

With a mechanical clatter, a train pulled into the platform at Stoneveil city Station, its doors sliding open.

Conard quickly checked the data. freewebnσvel.cøm

[D-grade Train: "The Running Ghost Train."]

«So this is that famous Theme Dungeon...»

But why was it running on Line 10? Wasn’t it supposed to be on Line 1?

Tilting his head, Conard recalled something he’d heard recently.

’They said they were busy with expansion work... Did they extend the tracks?’

Staring at the ghost train, Conard felt a prick of unease.

Their destination was Eastport Station.

And strangely enough, the ghost train was headed there too.

«Team Leader? Should we just ride that?»

«...Are you crazy?»

«Huh?»

Conard turned back to his men.

«It’s a D-grade Theme Dungeon.

Even though it’s under our jurisdiction, it’s beyond our clearance level.

If we board, we’ll die.»

«But Hyde ordered us to chase them...»

«Tch.

This is what you call force majeure, got it?»

It would be a longer detour — but Conard wasn’t the type to gamble needlessly.

If there was a safer route, he would take it.

That’s why he had joined the Company in the first place.

Because it gave him the best chance to survive.

«We’re going by land.»

There were no objections.

The Company’s Break Team 3 started moving again,

leaving Stoneveil city Station on foot.