Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM
Chapter 92 – The Game Is Real

Chapter 92: Chapter 92 – The Game Is Real

Chapter 92 – The Game Is Real

[You have exceeded the quest objective.]

[You have cleared all monsters on the 13th floor.]

[Title acquired: "Cowardly Butcher."]

[Hammer Goblins dislike you.]

[Reward: "Worn Rag Outfit Set" has been granted.]

Another item appeared in the air.

’This is...’

A set of yellowed, tattered clothing appeared—top and bottom—and dropped onto the floor.

At the same time, he felt experience being absorbed into his body.

Now he was sure.

’This really is a game.’

It was still hard to believe, but he couldn’t argue against what was happening right before his eyes.

His thoughts raced.

’Today’s the official launch day...’

Could this be Exodia2? A game showing up in the real world? Not even augmented reality could feel this realistic.

Even CG always had noticeable flaws.

’Besides, there’s no way a regular game could affect reality like this.’

At the same time, another thought occurred to him.

’Why am I this calm?’

He had just killed a Hammer Goblin that appeared out of nowhere, and it felt completely natural.

He was surprised at first, sure—but then he found an opening and stabbed. After that, he slaughtered them without hesitation.

He had never even held a sword before.

Suddenly, he remembered the message windows that had appeared earlier. Now that he thought about it, he started calming down right around then.

On a hunch, he muttered one word.

’Status window.’

A status window really appeared.

<Status Window> Name: Jhin – Lv.1 Age: 29 Class: Unemployed Stats: [Strength 5], [Agility 5], [Stamina 5], [Magic 5] Unique Skill: [Heavenly Martial Body (S)] * Skill is partially restricted due to low player level. Only a portion of the ability is usable. Current active skill: [Calm (F)]

Jhin ’s eyes lit up.

Heavenly Martial Body.

It was the unique skill he had earned after endless grinding.

A whole month’s worth of effort.

So why was it here?

That was a skill from Exodia1.

’Wait... is this from the shutdown reward?’

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Exodia.

A once wildly popular but now-dead online game.

Ironically, the rise and fall of that game came down to a single thing.

’Its brutal difficulty.’

Even the basic controls required more skill than most RPGs. Every time you used a skill, you had to input individual commands.

’Even casting a single spell meant typing out the incantation every time.’

It was an unfamiliar but unique system.

Unlike other games where pressing one button activated a skill, Exodiamade you work for it.

But the real problem wasn’t that.

’Only three lives.’

You only got three deaths. After that, your entire character data was deleted.

That hardcore mechanic was what made it explode in popularity early on—then later earned it the label of "unplayable."

’Veteran players were practically extinct.’

Sure, there were people on the rankings—but the skill gap was huge. The top 12 were so far ahead they were treated like gods.

The difference between rank 12 and 13 was massive.

Same for 100 versus 101. And 1,000 versus 1,001 was even worse.

Why?

Because one slip and your character was gone. Even popular streamers and YouTubers avoided the game.

So you could imagine how frustrated someone like Jhin must’ve been—someone who had played for five years and even reached rank 1.

Then the service ended.

The entire game disappeared. Their characters—gone.

It felt like watching the end of the world.

But right before the shutdown, there was an interesting survey.

[Is there anything you’d like to carry over to Exodia2?]

[Pick three.]

It was like one of those "What would you bring to a deserted island?" questions.

Veterans filled it out with cautious hope.

Maybe, just maybe, the developers would show them some respect.

They even coined a term for it—"shutdown reward."

It was their way of finishing Exodia1 with a little hope in their hearts. Maybe they’d at least get a starter pack.

But whether or not they’d actually receive anything...

Nobody knew.

Not until Exodia2 officially launched.

’They actually gave me this...’

He regretted what he wrote that day.

If he had known, he would’ve written down broken skills like "Blade God Style," "Thunder God," or myth-tier equipment like "Meteor Sword of Calamity."

Jhin shrugged and shook his head.

[Heavenly Martial Body]

Optimizes the player for combat.

Related skills are sealed. They will unlock automatically once conditions are met.

Thinking about it now, this was probably the best thing he could’ve chosen.

Combat optimization. No weapon restrictions.

Now that he’d experienced it in real life, it hit harder than ever.

’Even though I’ve never used a sword before, it felt like I had.’

And Heavenly Martial Body had some unexpected effects in the real world.

Things that didn’t matter at all in the game now felt essential.

’Mental focus.’

Even if a game gives you three lives, it’s still just a game.

But this?

The goblin’s breath, the stench, the pressure—everything was real.

One mistake, and he’d be dead.

But Heavenly Martial Body did exactly what it said: optimized him for combat.

Even if some skills were restricted, he could still use "Calm."

Thanks to that, he was able to assess the situation quickly.

’...That means two shutdown rewards remain.’

He had selected three. So far, only Heavenly Martial Body had activated.

The other two were late-game items. They wouldn’t be helpful right now—and even if he summoned them, he probably couldn’t use them yet.

’Forget it. I’ll think about that later.’

Now wasn’t the time to worry about shutdown rewards.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Heavy pounding sounds began echoing from somewhere.

The regular rhythm could only mean one thing.

Right on cue, a quest alert popped up.

[You’ve received a new quest.]

<Quest – Dungeonization>

Category: Tutorial

Difficulty: F

Condition: A parasite has appeared in I-Fork Apartment Building 103.

Once all the hammering is complete, the dungeon "Contaminated Molly’s Tree (F)" will form.

Leave Lines 5–6 of Apartment 103 before dungeonization completes.

Time Limit: 10 minutes

Reward: Basic Survival Kit

Failure: Death

Tutorial in progress. Monster levels are adjusted accordingly.

And to top it off, one last annoying message appeared:

[Enjoy your play! Good luck!]

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