Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse-Chapter 197: Does it matter?

Justin, Damian, and Elias each went to inform their respective subordinates that they would all be entering the same door. There were no objections. If any of them had the kind of leadership weak enough to face opposition, they wouldn’t have made it this far in the first place.

However, there was an unavoidable tension among the pioneers.

’We’re really supposed to go into that passage with them?’

’This place looks exactly like a dungeon, full of traps and monsters.’

’And there’s treasure in there, too.’

’What if they betray us and try to kill everyone?’

Elias’s followers were obviously suspicious, but even the forces of Justin and Damian, who were supposedly in an alliance, shared similar concerns. After all, their alliance had yet to face any real trials together. They’d only spent a few days sharing meals, most of which were filled with boasting and subtle power plays. There hadn’t been enough time to build the kind of trust where one could safely turn their back on the other.

’Well, it’s something we can start building from now on,’ Justin thought. No matter how large and spacious the interior might be, it was still an enclosed space with no escape. If a fight broke out, they’d have to work together just to survive. Until they reached the treasure vault, no one would dare risk betrayal.

With that thought, Justin smiled at the two leaders and said, "Alright, are we all ready? Let’s get going."

"Wait, have you already decided which door we’re going through?" Damian asked, surprised.

"Does it matter? The closest one will do. Let’s go through that door over there," Justin replied, pointing to the nearest door.

"...."

Both leaders looked taken aback by Justin’s straightforward decision-making, but he just shrugged.

"There’s no way to tell if one door is better than the others, right? There are no labels, no indicators. Unless either of you wants to pick?"

"...No, the closest one is fine," Damian sighed.

"Don’t misunderstand me. I was just momentarily impressed by your bold decision," Elias chimed in, offering a bit of flattery even as he anxiously fidgeted, clearly uneasy about entering the passage.

Justin chuckled and walked toward the nearest door. He placed his hand on the massive door and pushed it open.

Rumble

Though the door looked impossibly heavy, it opened smoothly under the lightest touch. Inside, however, was total darkness. It seemed like it would only light up after they entered, just like when they had first stepped into the temple.

"Let’s go," Justin commanded.

With his words, the three factions of pioneers surged forward, stepping into the dark passage. As soon as they were all inside...

Boom!

With a loud crash, the door slammed shut behind them, and blue flames ignited all around, illuminating the passage.

Unlike the previous holy and serene atmosphere of the temple, this place had a much more ominous and eerie feel. Someone let out a quiet groan.

"A dungeon...!"

"As expected," Justin muttered, glancing around.

The interior looked exactly like a dungeon. Although the colors were a bit brighter, and there was a grandiose feel to the place, it was unmistakably similar to the early dungeons they had encountered. However, while those old dungeons had been lower-level, this one practically radiated danger, signaling that it was meant for high-level adventurers.

Both Damian and Elias felt the shift in the atmosphere. They approached Justin cautiously, whispering to him.

"We should prepare before moving forward," Damian suggested.

"What kind of preparation?" Justin asked.

"We need to organize our vanguard and rear guard. First, we should divide the warriors and mages from each faction and then group them according to their similar roles—"

"No need. It’s better if we don’t do that," Justin interrupted.

"What do you mean, ’better not’?! Coordination in battle is one of the most basic principles!" Damian protested, glaring at Justin. With his subordinates’ lives on the line, he wasn’t going to let this go as easily as he had other disagreements.

Elias, sensing that a disagreement was about to break out, wisely stepped back. He seemed to realize that his position in this argument was weak or that getting involved wouldn’t benefit him.

"You know the difference between a united group with clear roles and a scattered one in battle. So why...?" Damian pressed.

"Who’s going to be in command of the unified group?" Justin asked pointedly.

"Huh?"

"If we’re grouping up like that, it’s not just about giving basic commands like ’attack,’ ’fight,’ or ’retreat,’ is it? You’ll also need to order people to risk their lives when it counts. ’Jump in and take the hit,’ ’distract that enemy even if it might kill you,’ ’you’ve got a 50/50 chance of dying, but go do it anyway’—who’s going to give those orders?" Justin continued.

At Justin’s unexpected line of reasoning, Damian’s face changed. Grouping their forces together meant they would be operating as one unit, which also meant there would need to be a single chain of command. Damian had always naturally assumed he’d be the one in charge, so he hadn’t even thought about this issue until now.

"Sorry, but I’m never giving you command over my people. You understand why, right?" Justin said.

"...Yes," Damian replied, quietly conceding the point. There was no need to explain further. Even though they were now part of one group, they were still three separate factions at heart. If Damian were to give commands, it was obvious that he’d assign the most dangerous tasks to Justin’s pioneers rather than his own.

’And there’s no guarantee that the pioneers will follow those orders, especially if their lives are on the line,’ Justin thought. Even if they agreed to a joint leader, it didn’t mean the individual pioneers would obey every command, especially if it meant putting themselves in grave danger.

"Rather than combining our forces awkwardly and trying to increase our strength, it’s better to fight separately but cover each other’s backs. That’s the best option for now," Justin concluded.

Damian nodded silently, realizing the mistake he had made in assuming that combining their forces would be simple. He also seemed embarrassed that he had made such an oversight in front of the other leaders.

"Haha, I’m glad we managed to resolve that," Elias interjected, trying to adopt a mediator role.

"Shut up."

"Yes, of course," Elias quickly retreated into silence.

With the tension still lingering between them, the group began moving deeper into the temple. However, their uneasy atmosphere didn’t last long.

"What in the world...!"

Before long, they found themselves face-to-face with a massive army of over 500 monsters.

’So it’s really happening,’ Justin thought as he stared at the monster horde, half infuriated.

Justin had fought hundreds of greenskins during the monster wave, but even that wasn’t quite like this. He had thought it would be a long time before he encountered a horde of monsters on this scale again after the monster wave ended.

’Guess the system loves to shatter expectations,’ Justin thought.

The first obstacle was a group of over five hundred monsters. It was the system’s way of warning them not to think this would be anything like what they’d faced before.

But even so, he didn’t feel fear. Turning to the two leaders behind him, Justin spoke.

"I’ll take the center. You two handle the left and right. Figure out between yourselves who goes where."

"W-wait a moment! Are you really planning to fight that?" Elias asked, shocked.

"Of course we’re going to fight. How else are we supposed to break through?" Justin replied nonchalantly.

Elias’s face paled at Justin’s lack of hesitation. Damian didn’t look any better.

"There are too many of them. Even if we manage to break through, we’ll suffer heavy casualties," Damian argued.

"Then what, you want to turn back?" Justin asked.

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"It might take more time, but we could try finding another door—"

"And what guarantee do you have that the other door will be any easier?"

"There’s no guarantee it won’t be easier, either," Damian countered.

Justin couldn’t help but laugh at the serious response and stared at Damian in disbelief.

Changing doors wasn’t even an option. The quest’s description made it clear that while you could abandon the mission midway, switching doors was impossible. He had thrown the idea out there as a joke, but Damian had taken it seriously.

’He’d rather give up the quest than risk casualties,’ Justin realized. But Damian didn’t back down even under Justin’s gaze. When it came to lives being on the line, he wasn’t willing to compromise.

Justin concealed a smirk, hiding the excitement that was building inside him.

’This is perfect,’ he thought. He had been waiting for an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow—something more than just vague alliances and threats. This was his chance to truly dominate them.

He wasn’t going to let it slip away.

"Are you seriously unwilling to fight?" Justin asked. Enjoy new adventures from novelbuddy

"I’d rather ask you. Is this quest really worth the sacrifices you’re about to make?" Damian shot back.

"What sacrifices? If no one dies, there’s no problem, right?" Justin replied with a smile.

Both Damian and Elias’s expressions changed dramatically, their faces turning red with anger. They clearly thought Justin was mocking them.

Chuckling to himself, Justin turned away from them. "If you don’t trust me, feel free to stay behind. We’ll go ahead without you."

There was no need to see how the two leaders reacted. He’d find out soon enough after the battle.

Time to have some fun.

’He’s insane,’ Elias thought as he watched Justin lead his group forward to face the horde of monsters.

He couldn’t believe Justin really intended to take on that mass of monsters with just his own forces.

’What’s the point of being strong if you can’t even see the danger at your own feet? No matter how powerful he is, it’s useless if he’s this reckless,’ Elias mused.

To Elias, Justin was undeniably strong, but he was also blinded by his own arrogance. He seemed so confident in his strength that he acted without any regard for the potential consequences. A fool who hadn’t considered the inevitable backlash.

Justin might have been lucky so far, but Elias was sure today would be the end for him.

"They say a person’s greatest enemy is themselves. Looks like that’s true here, don’t you think? It’s not even an external threat; he’s walking into the jaws of death because of his own overconfidence," Elias said, trying to draw agreement from Damian.

But Damian merely glanced at him briefly without saying anything. He clearly had no desire to mock someone who was about to walk to their death.

Elias clicked his tongue in frustration. ’Always pretending to be the righteous one.’

Losing interest in Justin, Elias turned back to his waiting followers. Now that Justin was marching off to his death and the quest was likely doomed to fail, there was no point in trying to impress Damian anymore.

As soon as he returned, his followers surrounded him with confused and concerned faces.

"Lord, what exactly is happening right now?"

"Why is that arrogant man going off on his own?"

"Are we supposed to just stay here?"

"Calm down, everyone. Let me explain what’s happening..." Elias soothed his followers while thinking quickly.

Should he frame Justin as a martyr who had chosen to sacrifice himself for them? Or would it be better to portray him as a fool who had ignored Elias’s wise counsel and was now paying the price?

’Yes, that’ll work,’ Elias thought, having made up his mind. He was just about to open his mouth and spin his story with a bright smile when—

Fwooooosh!

"...!?"

A giant pillar of blue fire erupted from behind, sweeping through the monster horde.