Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse-Chapter 185 A burst of light !

At that moment, several hobgoblins came rushing back in a frenzy.

Justin quickly gripped his staff and called out to the group.

"Prepare for battle!"

"Raaaaargh!"

As expected, an orc burst out from the trees, chasing after the hobgoblins.

It was a monster far too weak to be a threat to them.

Justin muttered a short incantation under his breath.

"Black Missile."

"You don't even need to use your double-strength enhancement to take down orcs with a single hit anymore," Zachary remarked in awe.

"Thanks to leveling up. I've poured a lot of points into my magic abilities," Justin responded calmly.

His companions looked at him with half-exasperated expressions, as if silently asking, How strong are you planning to get?

Ignoring their stares, Justin glanced around at their surroundings.

"The sun's going down. Should we camp here for the night?" he suggested.

"Already? It seems a little early. Wouldn't it be better to keep going until we're out of the forest?" Zachary asked.

"That's exactly why I'm suggesting we camp here, while we're still in the forest."

"Huh?"

"Most of the monsters around here are greenskins, ones we're familiar with. But once we leave the forest, we don't know what kinds of creatures we'll run into."

"Oh!"

The group widened their eyes in realization.

This would be their first time camping outside the safe zone, after all.

If they were attacked during the night, it would be better to face monsters they knew how to handle.

Even though they could probably keep traveling for a while longer, stopping here would ensure a safer night's rest.

"Besides, this area is wide and open with few trees. Even if we're attacked at night, we'll be able to see it coming. Though, of course, the best situation is that we don't get attacked at all," Justin added.

With the camping spot decided, the group quickly got to work setting up camp.

Thanks to the equipment they had bought from the shop, the preparations were faster than expected.

Once everything was ready, all that remained was organizing the night watch.

"We'll have the hobgoblins stand watch. Just in case, three pioneers will also take turns on a three-shift rotation," Justin instructed.

"Understood."

"If monsters attack during the night, start by shouting loudly to wake everyone. If people still don't wake up, start with Rachel and then wake up the rest."

"Wait, shouldn't we wake you up first, my lord?" one of the pioneers asked, looking confused.

Rachel chuckled and explained, "Justin's great at killing enemies, but I'm better at protecting our allies."

"…?"

"It's true. Besides, most of us will wake up at the first shout, so you probably won't need to wake me up at all."

"But it's always good to be prepared for the worst," Justin added.

Even though it seemed like a minor thing, having a clear plan in place during emergencies could make all the difference.

When people panicked and their minds went blank, having a manual to follow helped them act quickly, even if they weren't at their best.

Looking at the pioneers, who had just finished preparing for dinner, Justin called out, "Rest up! But don't relax too much. This is our first night outside the safe zone, so keep in mind that an attack could happen at any time."

"Yes, sir!"

The pioneers answered in unison, their expressions serious.

Seeing the tension in their faces, Justin realized he probably didn't need to remind them—they were already on edge.

Not bad, Justin thought to himself.

Being outside the safe zone meant that attacks could come at any time.

It was better to stay on alert, even if it made resting less effective.

As long as they maintained this level of vigilance, they'd be ready no matter when an attack came.

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And yet, nothing happened.

"It's peaceful, and I'm glad for that, but it's also a bit anticlimactic," one of the pioneers remarked.

"Yeah, I kept waiting for something to happen, but there's no sign of anything," another agreed.

Justin didn't say anything in response.

Although he wanted to remind them not to let their guard down, he couldn't deny that he felt the same way.

...Are greenskins diurnal? If their activity patterns are similar to humans, that would make sense, he thought to himself.

They had spent the last three days preparing for an attack, but not a single one had come.

And to make matters worse, they still hadn't managed to get out of the forest after three whole days.

It wasn't a serious issue, but the lack of progress was starting to wear on them mentally.

Sensing the tension in Justin's expression, Zachary hurriedly spoke up, trying to lift the mood.

"Still, it's fortunate that nothing happened. Thanks to that, everyone's been able to conserve their strength. Maybe it's actually a blessing in disguise that we've spent these three days in familiar territory."

"That may be true for now, but the real problem is what comes next."

"What do you mean by that?" Zachary asked, his face growing serious.

"For the past three days, most of the monsters we've encountered have been greenskins—hobgoblins, orcs, and the occasional orc shaman or troll.

But not being able to get out of the forest in three days also means it'll take that long just to move between hunting grounds.

Once we reach a certain level, it's going to be extremely difficult to find suitable hunting areas."

Justin's concern was clear: they weren't finding enough strong monsters to continue leveling up the pioneers.

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Orcs no longer provided enough experience to be worthwhile.

"Zach, this affects you too. If you miss out on this quest, it's going to be much harder for you to reach your second-job class. There's only so much experience you can get from killing orcs," Justin explained.

"...!"

"Depending on what we encounter in the quest, we might adjust our approach. But for now, stay alert. If we can't get enough experience from the quest, I was hoping to help you out with some hunting afterward, but that's looking less and less likely."

Hearing this, Zachary's face hardened.

With their leader's mood darkening, the atmosphere of the entire expedition grew heavier.

Everyone fell silent as they continued forward.

Then, suddenly...

Flash!

"…!?"

A burst of light in the distance made everyone stop in their tracks.

Justin glanced at his companions and whispered,

"That flash of light just now—did it come from the pillar acting as the waypoint?"

"No, it came from somewhere much closer," Rachel answered.

"And it wasn't nearly as bright as the pillar of light either," Nathan added.

"Judging by the scale, it seems more like a skill than something caused by the system...."

Boom!

Before anyone could finish speaking, another explosion echoed in the distance.

The sheer force of the blast made it clear that whatever was happening wasn't ordinary.

Justin and his companions exchanged looks, their suspicions confirmed.

There were other pioneers in the area—and at least one of them was a high-level, second-job pioneer.