Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 46: The Broken Contract

Chapter 46: The Broken Contract

’Even players...’

But looking at these creatures, Jhin felt no sympathy like he had toward the kobolds.

The only thing surrounding him was cold, boiling anger.

Jhin locked eyes onto the goblin standing at the head of the enemy group.

Judging by the two horns protruding from its forehead, it had to be their leader.

A goblin with two horns. A "Smaug."

«Human. Don’t interfere.»

«Aren’t you a human too?»

«...What?»

The goblin answered with a stupid question, and Jhin clicked his tongue.

The way it spoke — as if it had never been human — was so revolting it made him want to snap.

«Forget it. What’s the point in talking.»

In the next instant, Jhin closed the distance.

He grabbed a one-horned "Smaug" by its horn — and threw it.

The massive body flew through the air and crashed into the wall with an explosive boom.

Without hesitation, Jhin kicked the next closest Smaug, snatched the club it dropped, and shattered its skull.

They might have once been human on the inside.

But— He showed no mercy in his strikes.

’Because these bastards are different from the kobolds.’

The kobolds had been victims, their bodies stolen through deceit.

But these goblins—They had volunteered.

Not a single one among them held goodwill.

’Because the prerequisite to becoming a goblin is parricide.’

Jhin’s gaze sharpened dangerously.

At that moment — flames surged toward him.

Fwooooosh!

Fire roared, sweeping across the field — the signature ability of a Smaug.

The creature seemed to have an affinity for fire, manipulating the flames to attack.

The kobolds, weak against fire, whimpered miserably.

Jhin muttered:

«Didn’t you learn in ethics class not to play with fire?»

At that moment, his skill ’Flow Reading’ activated.

Instantly analyzing the battlefield, he found a route leading straight to the Smaug.

He sprinted forward, choosing the shortest path.

As for the remaining Smaugs — he left them to Millie.

She could handle them alone.

Just then — a wall of flame erupted before him.

The entire front was engulfed in fire, but Jhin quickly found a gap small enough to pass through with only minor burns.

Fwoooosh!

Whoooosh!!

Without hesitation, Jhin leaped through the fire.

And his fist — aimed straight at the Smaug’s face.

The goblin tried to jerk its head back to dodge,

but Jhin’s punch was faster.

[Skill ’Mana Focus (F)’ activated.]

[Weapon-exclusive skill ’Thorn’ from the equipment ’Scarecrow’s Thorn Gauntlet’ activated.]

Simultaneously, Jhin triggered the thorn mechanism on his weapon.

Puuuuck!

The thorn drilled clean through the Smaug’s forehead.

The goblin looked at him with an almost pitiful gaze —

but its eyes quickly dulled as its brain was skewered.

[You have defeated the debt collector ’Smaug.’]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have obtained rewards.]

Goblin’s Pack.

Hidden Contract.

Narrowing his brows, Jhin opened the hidden contract he had picked up.

Maybe it held a clue on how to restore the kobolds to their original bodies.

[Hidden Contract]

Name: Clark

Contents: ’Party A’ shall have the right to enforce unconditional sacrifice and labor from ’Party B.’ ’Party B’ is obligated to pay weekly tributes to ’Party A’...

From the very introduction —the contract was blatantly unfair.

Back when the kobolds had first signed, the document would not have shown these terms.

Most likely, special items had been used to conceal the true content until after the contract was sealed.

That was why — one must never sign contracts carelessly.

Especially in Exodia...

Without power to protect yourself, everything would be stolen.

«...Fucking bastards.»

After reading all the way to the end, Jhin couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

The final clause was enough to make his blood boil with rage.

’Cunning sons of bitches.’

Bang!

As the last of the Smaugs fell, a brief silence descended over Eastport Station.

Above the corpses of the goblins, white mist began to rise —

the souls of the players, escaping their monstrous forms.

And then—

«Kee-ee-...?» The kobolds tilted their heads in confusion — then began collapsing one by one.

From their small bodies — white mist, just like the goblins’, began to leak out.

The souls that had been trapped inside.

And soon —it spread like a plague.

The same symptoms appeared across all the kobolds.

«W-What’s going on...?»

Caleb muttered in shock.

In a matter of moments, every kobold collapsed.

As if — their bodies had become mere husks, emptied of their souls.

«Mr. Jhin... what should we do?»

Realizing the severity of the situation, Millie turned to him anxiously.

Jhin swallowed hard as he looked back down at the hidden contract.

[If the debt collector tasked with collecting interest from ’Party B’ encounters a problem, ’Party A’ shall inherit all rights over ’Party B.’]

The moment the kobolds had attacked the debt collectors,

this outcome had already been set.

Perhaps —those bastards had been waiting for this all along.

If they provoked the kobolds into fighting,

they wouldn’t even need to wait to collect memories little by little —

they could just seize everything at once.

Whooooosh!

Unlike the goblins’ souls, which scattered into the air immediately—

The kobolds’ souls — gathered together, forming a mass.

And they began moving — toward a single direction.

Seeing that, Jhin’s eyes sharpened.

«We have to follow them.»

«Huh?»

«If we’re too late — the kids will be in danger.»

They hurried after the drifting mist.

And strangely enough — the path it took felt familiar.

Following the stairs down—

They arrived at the place they had seen when they first entered,

the ghost station’s platform.

But there was something different.

«...A train?»

[The train will be departing shortly. Passengers, please board.]

Something absurd was waiting there.