Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 21 - A Name That Carries Weight

Chapter 21 - A Name That Carries Weight

"Are you... Kyle?"

Milie asked, and immediately berated herself.

Calling him Kyle?

It was an absurd question.

’There’s no way this person is Kyle.’

Who was Kyle?

The only individual who had ever risen to the number one ranking in Exodia.

He had achieved numerous feats that no one else had managed, crushing countless dungeons with extraordinary strategies. He was the undisputed best player of Exodia.

However, it was known that he was still trapped in Trial nexus. According to reliable sources, as of this morning, there had been no changes to the challenger attempting the Hell difficulty, meaning he had not yet returned to reality.

Unless, by some remote chance,

Kyle had conquered Trial nexus and returned afterward.

’That would be too much of a leap.’

Kyle had been missing for three whole months.

And now, to suddenly escape from Trial nexus and appear at the "collapsed school" where a dungeon break had occurred?

Milie rejected the possibility.

The odds were just too low.

’Even though I’ve been tracking Kyle’s whereabouts for a long time...’

The reason Milie, who had experienced dungeonization in Tree district, came all the way to Stoneveil City was actually because of Kyle.

One of the few recorded cases of failed dungeonization in Capital City.

One of those cases had occurred right here in Stoneveil City. She had heard somewhere that despite a confirmed monster attack, no dungeon had actually formed.

Milie had guessed that Kyle was involved.

Because this was the only case where the person behind the "failed dungeonization" remained unidentified.

’Of course, that’s assuming that Kyle is even a Corelander...’

There were rumors that Kyle was Persian. She had heard it from more than one or two sources, so she had been half-skeptical about it.

Thus, she forcibly pushed away her expectations.

Getting her hopes up and being disappointed once or twice was more than enough. She didn’t want to experience that painful feeling again, something she’d gone through countless times before.

And he wasn’t answering.

’Of course, it’s not him.’

Though she had secretly been expecting something, Milie quietly watched the man and then suddenly realized she’d made a huge mistake.

This was the man who had saved her life, as well as the lives of all the survivors at the Stoneveil City Station.

And yet, instead of thanking him first, she had blurted out something else.

It was a mistake.

And Milie was the type who believed in apologizing immediately for her mistakes. Delaying it would only lead to excuses piling up.

So she opened her mouth to apologize.

"Yes, that’s right."

"I made a mistake. I should have thanked you first— Wait, what did you say?"

Milie looked up at Jhin with a stunned expression.

He replied casually, as if it were no big deal.

"I’m Kyle."

A little while later, they were leaving the dungeon.

"I’m just relieved that so many people are still alive."

While escaping the dungeon, they had managed to reunite with the scattered group members. They said they had barely survived, hiding inside a storage room-like place in the school after the mysterious explosion incident.

"I’m sorry. We should have been able to help..."

"No. Just the fact that you’re alive is a huge help. Thank you."

"Detective Caleb..."

Those words were not just empty consolation.

Even if they had made it to the boss room, they wouldn’t have been much help. Right now, the best and only help they could offer was simply surviving.

’Even if you roll around in a pile of filth, as long as you survive, it’s enough.’

The reason was simple.

Players grow.

Even if they weren’t strong right now, they wouldn’t stay beginners forever. It was fine even if it didn’t happen immediately.

’Though Detective Caleb doesn’t seem to think that way.’

He hadn’t known Caleb for long, but Jhin could tell: he was a deeply humane person. You could see it clearly just from how every member of the group relied on him.

He was their center—the thick thread tying them all together.

At that moment, one of the group members spotted Milie and called out.

"Milie, are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. Something... surprising happened."

"Something surprising?"

"I’ll explain it later. For now, let’s head back to the camp."

No one objected.

After the dungeon break, skeletons were scattered everywhere. Even outside the dungeon, there was no guarantee of safety anymore, so returning to the camp was the top priority.

They were also worried about the people back at the camp.

"Don’t worry too much. The camp will be safe."

"...Yes."

But still, their pace quickened.

Leaving the collapsed school behind, they crossed the main road—about ten minutes on foot.

Fighting off the skeletons wandering the streets as they went, they eventually came across a dark staircase descending underground.

Stoneveil City Station.

The subway platform.

This was the place they had chosen for their survivor camp.

"Oddly enough, monsters don’t come underground very often."

Jhin guessed the reason.

The monsters currently roaming the surface were mostly F-class creatures that had been freed during the dungeon break.

Most of them had been trapped inside "dungeons" for a very long time.

And F-class dungeons were typically small, often formed indoors rather than outside.

That was probably why.

The underground subway platform, which had a dungeon-like atmosphere, resembled a place they absolutely did not want to return to.

Whether the survivors knew it or not when they chose it, it was a brilliant location for a survivor camp.

At least until the next, more advanced dungeon wave arrived, it would serve them well.

And soon after, they arrived at the camp.

"Detective Caleb?"

"Huh? Everyone’s back!"

"People are back!!"

The abandoned subway platform had been partitioned into sections, much like a camp. Quite a few people were there to greet them.

From elderly people to small children...

Among them, a hunched old man who seemed to carry the weight of many years on his back was the first to approach and speak.

"I’m so glad you’re safe."

"Yes. Have you been well?"

"We’ve been fine. But..."

The old man glanced at Caleb, then closed his mouth.

Everyone could feel the flash of sadness that momentarily crossed his eyes.

However, the old man didn’t bring up the matter out loud.

He spoke quietly instead.

"Please rest for now. I’ll bring you something to eat."

A man who looked to be in his mid-thirties moved toward the area where supplies were stacked. Several others hurried over to help him, pulling out food and other items.

It was then that Caleb turned to Jhin and said,

"Please, find somewhere comfortable to rest. We’ll bring you something to eat soon."

"Ah, yes. Thank you. Please, go ahead."

It was clear there were quite a few people in the camp who were looking for Caleb. It didn’t seem to be just because he was a police officer—people genuinely and deeply trusted him.

Jhin took a quick look around the area.

"A comfortable place, huh..."