Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 37 - The Return of a Legend

Chapter 37 - The Return of a Legend

—It’s a lie.

From the moment the name ’Kyle’ came out of Jhin’s mouth, Luke had been sure of it.

He knew better than anyone what kind of person Jhin was.

’There’s no way that scrub could be Kyle...!’

The gap between the rank 1 player, Kyle, and the raggedy nobody he remembered was just too big.

Honestly, if the scruffy kid he used to know suddenly turned out to be someone he could only look up to now, would anyone believe it right away?

Especially for Luke, Kyle wasn’t just anyone.

’My role model.’

Though he had never told anyone, Luke had been a huge fan of Exodia 1.

Naturally, he admired Kyle — the undisputed number one.

How many times had he been in awe, watching Kyle do the impossible with ease?

He respected Kyle.

Seeing someone boldly forge ahead into places no one else dared to go — it gave him a sense of vicarious satisfaction.

Maybe it was because, compared to how much he loved games, Luke was a hopelessly unlucky player.

He wasn’t good at all.

Watching Kyle do what he himself never could filled him with a special kind of excitement.

’Yeah. There’s no way. That scrub can’t be Kyle... it’s a lie.’

But as time passed, Luke had no choice but to accept it.

After all, the feats he was witnessing were undeniable.

He had seen Jhin solo with the Wilow king in the Garden of Death.

He had seen him fight mysterious monsters at Stoneveil city Station.

None of it could be put into words.

Most of all, he had watched him battle a Grid firsthand.

A creature they couldn’t even scratch — and Jhin had taken it down easily.

How could he not believe it?

’Why... why of all people does it have to be Jhin?’

Kyle was his idol.

His role model.

Like a celebrity he genuinely loved.

If Kyle and Millie held fan sign events at the same time, he would have chosen Kyle’s without a second thought.

That’s how much of a fan he was.

But Jhin?

To him, Jhin had always just been... that scruffy kid.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Ten years ago.

A kid with no money, nothing to his name.

Scruffy and stubborn to a fault — so much so that it made him want to pick a fight just out of spite.

That’s all Jhin had been to him.

’Why... why the hell does it have to be Jhin who’s Kyle!?’

But the longer he watched, the more the image of the scruffy kid faded,

and only Kyle remained, layered over it.

Maybe the turning point had been when Jhin saved his life from the Grid’s attack.

’As expected of Kyle... no, wait, what am I thinking?’

While Luke was struggling just to dodge attacks and survive,

Jhin was fighting the Grid — calmly, even leisurely.

The composure of the strong.

The greatness of Kyle.

They gnawed at his mind, making him steal more and more glances at Jhin.

And the moment he completely threw away his pride was when Jhin faced the Trigger.

’My god... how is he fighting that monster!?’

The Trigger was on a whole different scale — a monster beyond anything he had ever encountered.

No boss monster he’d faced before had ever given off that kind of overwhelming pressure.

Just standing there, staring at it, made his knees buckle and his body freeze.

But Jhin didn’t flinch.

He dodged invisible attacks, counterattacked, and fought back without fear.

At that point, even Luke had to admit it.

’Kyle... he really is Kyle, isn’t he?’

The scruffy clothes that used to make him look pathetic.

The low level that had once made him sneer.

Now, all of it looked different.

’...How does he pull off such feats with that kind of gear and level!? If he’s not Kyle, it’s impossible!’

Before he knew it, Luke was trembling and clenching his fists as he silently cheered for Jhin.

And the moment he watched Jhin land a decisive blow on the Trigger, standing alone on the battlefield—

He realized it.

’Ah... Kyle!’

There was no denying it anymore.

In a dark room.

Following the vision from the Trigger Jaden,

Crook stared in horror, accidentally dropping his crystal ball.

At first glance, it looked like just some ordinary man.

But the way he handled magic, the way he moved — it wasn’t normal.

A chill ran down Crook’s spine.

Something deep and familiar stirred inside him... Old trauma.

The memory of a sword slicing clean across his neck.

Of his subordinates being torn apart like paper.

A dungeon completely conquered — by just one person!

Just like DNA imprinted on a human being, the data was burned into Crook’s memory, never erased.

Crook swallowed hard.

’...It can’t be.’

He had used the Authority of Predation to consume humans and roughly grasp the current state of the world.

So, at least for now, he decided to deny it.

’Kyle should still be trapped in Trial nexus.’

Trial nexus status hadn’t changed.

And being trapped there for over 90 days could only mean one thing — something had gone terribly wrong.

Most people had already accepted Kyle’s death as a fact.

Not just his comrades — even humans in general.

And honestly, it was natural.

The gap between the game and reality.

Even the monsters once hailed as invincible, the so-called "Heavenly Monsters," had failed to adapt during the early days of the apocalypse and had died off.

Stats from a game didn’t transfer perfectly into the real world.

No matter how amazing he had been in Exodia, that didn’t mean he could be the same in reality.

Even the server shutdown rewards had been pitiful — only three items.

Not everything would be the same as it had been in Exodia 1.

’Relax. Kyle... that bastard’s dead.’

But then, a knock sounded from outside the room.

And a subordinate’s voice followed.

«Hyde, sir?»

Crook — no, Hyde — turned his head toward the voice calling him.

«Van is here to see you.»

«What? What’s he doing here?»

The answer came immediately — as Van casually barged through the door.

«Since you wouldn’t pick up, I had to come myself. What else could I do?»

«You think everyone has as much free time as you?

I’m running multiple farms, you know. I don’t even have time to check my phone.»

«Yeah, yeah. You’re just playing busy. Everyone knows you’re actually slacking off.»

Hyde scowled at him, breathing out a sigh full of irritation.

But for now, he decided to let it go.

Fine.

What would Van know anyway?

Hyde was managing at least five farms just in New Capital alone.

And the number was still growing.

He was only going to get busier.

Not only that—

He also had to constantly monitor the situation by peeking through the Triggers’ perspectives.

He literally didn’t have the time to waste exchanging messages.

While he silently grumbled inside, another thought crossed his mind.

Since Van was here anyway, maybe it would be a good chance to discuss this troubling matter.

«Good timing. There’s something weird I found... Take a look at this.»

«Kyle might still be alive.»

Silence fell.

Not because anyone was holding their breath — but because no sound even came up his throat.

His mind blanked out completely.

Hyde sat there, frozen like a robot with its batteries removed, staring at Van in shock.

And finally managed to croak out,

«Say that again...?»

He wanted to deny it.

Surely Van had misspoken — maybe he meant "cake," not "Kyle."

Now that he looked, Van had lost a lot of weight.

He must be stressed out badly...

Maybe he needed a dessert or two to cheer up.

Maybe Hyde could find a human slave nearby who could bake something.

Van said flatly,

«It’s a report from a newbie who entered Trial nexus on Easy mode.

Apparently, there are now zero challengers on Hell difficulty.»

There was no escaping reality anymore.