Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 47- The Running Ghost Train

Chapter 47- The Running Ghost Train

The long, rectangular machine let out a cold mechanical sound.

Through the wide-open doors, they could glimpse the interior — brightly lit and unusually clean.

The square-shaped machine that had entered the ghost station platform, practically a dead, abandoned ruin,

asserted its presence with icy weight.

Pusheeeeek.

Blue seats.

Overhead handrails hanging from the ceiling.

[You have encountered D-rank Dungeon ’Running Ghost Train.’]

Warm air, like from a heater, was blowing outward from the interior.

Jhin couldn’t believe his eyes at the absurdity of it all.

«How... how is the subway still running...»

Ever since New Capital had fallen into this state, of course, all subway operations had ceased.

Wasn’t that the whole reason why the people at Stoneveil city Station had made their evacuation plans based on the subway map?

’Besides, this is Line 10.’

Narrowing his eyes, Jhin scrutinized the exterior of the train even closer.

Even putting aside the impossibility of a subway still operating three months after the collapse—

there was no reason at all for a train to be running on the unfinished Line 10.

He considered other possibilities.

Just then, he noticed Kimmy thrashing wildly inside his pocket.

Whenever Kimmy reacted this way, there was always a reason.

[’Kimmy’ is unable to contain his excitement at the ’feast’ in front of him.]

[Do not spare nourishment for ’Kimmy.’]

...Of course.

Jhin sighed as he stared at the train’s familiar exterior.

He had guessed it — but he hadn’t expected it to appear like this.

’It’s a dungeon.’

A dungeon, using the subway as its stage.

’Considering it wasn’t here when we first arrived... this must be a moving dungeon.’

In Exodia, where dungeons were the core content, the world was riddled with countless varieties of dungeons.

Among them — the "moving dungeons."

In Exodia, moving dungeons usually took the form of carriages or ships.

Sometimes even airships — though that was mainly in fantasy worlds.

In a modern setting like this one —

it made perfect sense for a subway train to become a moving dungeon.

In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if things like airplanes or buses underwent dungeonization too.

At any rate — moving dungeons in this world were bound to be particularly tricky.

«Mr. Jhin.»

Lost briefly in thought, Jhin almost missed the sight of the white mist — the kobolds’ souls — being sucked into the train as if by a giant vacuum cleaner.

Realizing the subway was a dungeon, Caleb cautiously asked:

«What should we do?»

Still staring at the train, Jhin turned to him and, instead of answering, asked:

«Detective — what will you do?»

«Huh?»

«As you can see, this is a dungeon.

If we enter that train, we might lose the chance to find Stoneveil city Station’s survivors.»

Jhin had already decided to chase the children — the souls the debt collectors had taken.

But he couldn’t force that burden onto Caleb.

As the leader of Stoneveil city Station’s survivors, Caleb had a duty to protect them.

Even if their paths divided here, Jhin had no right to stop him.

Caleb hesitated for a moment, then spoke:

«Kobold — no, Hans said no one else had come through here, right?»

«...»

«If the survivors were still alive, there’s no way they would have ignored Eastport Station and fled onward.

And there are no signs of battle around here, so the Grids haven’t reached this area yet either.»

That was the reality.

Caleb continued, stating the painful truth:

«It may sound cold, but rather than chasing people whose survival we can’t even confirm, it’s more rational to save the children right in front of us.»

Jhin quietly nodded, agreeing with him.

He didn’t offer false hopes like "maybe the survivors escaped through the opposite tunnel."

If there was no certainty, there was no point giving false comfort.

There was only one thing to say:

«Then let’s go.»

Bearing the heavy silence on their shoulders, they boarded the train.

[You have failed to obtain a boarding ticket.]

[Unauthorized boarding confirmed.]

[Player ’Evan’ has been marked as a target by the ’Station Staff.’]

The D-rank dungeon ’Running Ghost Train’ —

was not a dungeon that Evan, with his mere level 52, could survive.

Even if he somehow managed to slaughter every Skeleton that broke loose during a dungeon break, this place was an entirely different level.

From the very start — in the rear carriage — he could feel it.

’...I’m going to die here.’

Whoooosh!

Even missed attacks still chipped away at his HP.

A "baby goblin," about the size of a soccer ball, was charging him — freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

a simple monster that only knew how to body slam.

And yet — Evan couldn’t even handle that.

The gap between him and the dungeon’s difficulty was overwhelming —

far greater than he had imagined.

What’s worse —

As soon as he entered the dungeon,

a quest had triggered — with a time limit attached.

That — was basically a death sentence.

’How the hell am I supposed to kill it in ten minutes!’

The task of killing the baby goblin — and obtaining a "boarding ticket" —

with a 10-minute time limit.

It was likely just the intro quest for the dungeon.

Probably extremely low in difficulty, too.

After all, this was still the entrance.

It wouldn’t make sense for it to be impossibly hard right from the start.

’Ughhh! This is insane!’

And yet—

Facing even a single baby goblin — felt like confronting a final boss.

Like he was surrounded by a dozen grim reapers.

And that gut feeling — was not wrong.

Even among D-rank monsters,

the weakest baby goblin would still be equivalent to a mid-boss of an E-rank dungeon.

For someone like Evan — who struggled even against regular E-rank monsters —

this place was nothing short of hell.

He was just far too weak.

KWAANG!

Dodging desperately, Evan threw himself to the side.

The baby goblin crashed into the wall behind him —

then turned around with a sinister grin.

And then— the baby goblin charged at him again.