Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse-Chapter 218 : Rough idea

'Well, thanks to these guys, I at least have a rough idea of what's going on.'

The pioneers who had gained power on Earth had formed organizations and committed all sorts of atrocities.

But as resources ran out and the meaning of their power diminished, they crossed over to this side.

In the process, voluntary collaborators and those who cooperated reluctantly had mixed together.

As a result, there was internal chaos everywhere.

"What a mess."

Seeing the situation so clearly now, Justin let out a dry laugh.

The rebellions across the territories had happened because they wanted to seize leadership rights before anyone else.

It wasn't so much about rebelling against Justin as it was about gaining an advantage over others.

Of course, this was purely the situation with these people—other territories might have different stories.

But one thing was certain.

'These people have no idea what it means to rebel against me. They're too busy dealing with what's right in front of them or are just blinded by the desire for leadership rights.'

Most of them had short-sighted perspectives, with a few exceptions.

They hadn't thought about the consequences of their actions.

That's why they had ended up making such a huge mistake without even realizing it.

It was a ridiculous situation, but not entirely incomprehensible.

Unlike us, who had been through countless absurd events due to the quests, they had remained on Earth, where things barely changed.

They probably couldn't even fathom how much power a pioneer who had followed the main quest faithfully would have.

'Their limited worldview, bound by common sense, has caused this side effect.'

"Lord, what will you do?"

Ethan's whisper snapped Justin out of his thoughts.

With a bitter smile, Justin replied,

"What else? I'll accept them."

"You won't punish them at all?"

"Punishment is meant to set an example for others, to prevent them from trying something similar. But honestly, punishing these guys wouldn't mean anything."

"Hmm."

Ethan nodded in agreement.

These people had acted blindly, without understanding anything.

Even if they were punished, they would probably just blame it on Justin's anger without reflecting on their own choices.

They didn't act out of their own will; they were just following the momentum.

"Punishing other territories might be effective depending on the situation, but not for these guys. They don't even have enough pride to be broken by force. Hitting them would be like swinging at thin air."

"But doesn't that also make them more dangerous? If they see a fist coming their way, they might just betray us again."

"That's true."

These people had lived with the mindset that surviving the immediate threat was all that mattered.

Whether Justin was in trouble or not, as soon as they sensed danger, they'd likely betray him again.

They wouldn't even consider the consequences of their decision.

"...That's why I need to show them real strength before that happens."

They needed to understand that surviving now meant nothing if it guaranteed their death later.

They needed to know that if they betrayed him, Justin would come back, restore order, and hunt them down with the power to make them pay.

Justin stood up and walked toward David, who was still kneeling.

As a shadow fell over David's head, he gulped nervously.

"Honestly, what you did is annoying, but considering how quickly things escalated, I'll accept your surrender."

"Th-thank you! What about the ordinary citizens in our territory...?"

"Of course, I'll protect them. Now that they're under my rule, they're my people too. We'll bring them all here."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

David bowed repeatedly, his eyes brimming with tears of gratitude.

He seemed overly thrilled by the generous offer.

But Justin wasn't finished.

"However, it's already too late to move over a thousand people right now, and leaving them there would be risky. We can't predict what might happen, which is a headache."

"It's okay! They're supposed to arrive in two days! If we start moving them tomorrow, it'll be more than enough time...!"

"No, you can't trust that. You said they're trash, right? Trusting the promises of trash could get us stabbed in the back. We'll strike first."

"W-what?"

The immigrants' faces went pale with shock at Justin's words.

Ignoring them, Justin called out to his allies.

"Derek, Ethan, Rachel! Get ready for war! Let's wipe them all out tonight!"

"Yes!"

"...!"

The faces of the immigrants, who had been celebrating just moments ago, drained of all color.

David was on the verge of losing his mind.

He had asked for protection, but war?

And at that, war before they had even made it inside the walls?

'What if we get caught in the middle of the fight or if they lose and we get blamed for it...'

The horrible thought made David tremble.

Sure, they seemed confident, so maybe they had some secret plan. But wasn't there always a small chance things could go wrong?

And they weren't even bringing many people—just four!

Unable to hold back, David whispered to the leader walking beside him.

"L-lord..."

"It's 'Lord.' We've explained multiple times that we have a hierarchical system here, haven't we?"

"S-sorry, Lord."

At the leader's sharp tone, David quickly corrected himself.

He didn't find it strange to follow a hierarchy; they had similar setups back on Earth.

What surprised him was that people here followed that system so obediently.

"So, why are you calling me? Don't tell me you've lost your way just because it's dark?"

"N-no, it's not that... I'm just worried if this few people will be enough... Maybe it's not too late to bring more soldiers...."

Whack!

"Gah!"

David didn't get to finish his sentence before he let out a groan.

The huge man walking beside the leader had slapped him on the back of the head.

It seemed like a light hit, but David's entire head felt like it was spinning.

The large man glared at him and snapped,

"Where do you get off telling us to bring more soldiers? Are you the leader? Huh?"

"N-no, I wasn't... That's not what I meant...."

"What now? Are you trying to become the leader? Is that why you want to rebel? Or wait, have you already done it?"

"Derek, stop. You're going to kill him."

"No matter how weak he is, this won't kill him. I only hit him hard enough for a common subject to survive."

With that one remark, the large man who had been pressing David so aggressively backed off.

But the leader's cold gaze on David made it clear he wasn't stopping out of kindness.

"You need to stay quiet too. Why do you have so much to say when we're trying to save you?"

"S-sorry. I was just... worried...."

"Worried or not, you don't have the right to suggest anything to me. Just because I forgave your rebellion doesn't mean you'll be treated as an equal. Keep your position in mind."

"...!"

David felt something boil up inside him.

All he had done was express concern, not even protest, and this was how he was treated?

He had heard about the hierarchy, but this felt like being treated like a worthless peasant.

He had seen some awful things under those criminals, but this was a new kind of insult.

"Your face looks strange. Are you regretting your surrender? Thinking about how there are so few of us, maybe you're considering taking us out here and now?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Then fix your expression. I've already forgiven your rebellion—don't make me change my mind."

"Yes!"

Of course, despite the frustration he felt inside, David knew he wasn't in any position to rebel.

If he had the guts for that, he wouldn't have come here to surrender in the first place.

With a deep sigh, David forced himself to think positively.

After all, wasn't their confidence a sign of their strength?

Just then, his junior urgently grabbed his arm.

"Bro, Bro!"

"Shh. Be quiet. You'll make the Lord angry."

"That's not important! Look ahead!"

Despite all his warnings to be cautious with words!

David frowned at his junior's thoughtlessness but then froze as he looked ahead.

There were torches moving around the perimeter of the territory where there shouldn't be any.

"Torches? Where did those come from...?"

"Someone must have bought them! They're for sale in the shops!"

"Who would buy torches? People can barely afford food, and they're still stuck eating boiled potatoes."

"Not us! The trash could have bought them!"

"...!"

Understanding dawned on David, and his face went pale.

At the same time, rage boiled within him.

They couldn't even keep the deadline they had set!

David was about to rush forward when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"See? Aren't you glad you came?"

"L-lord."

"Perfect timing. Looks like we won't have to go looking for them. Let's see these 'trash' people you mentioned."

The leader strode forward as if he were visiting his own territory.

Despite heading toward enemies they had never met, there wasn't a hint of tension.

The leader's subordinates were just as calm.

For a moment, David was dumbfounded by their confidence, but he quickly scrambled to follow.

"When the hell are they coming? Are you deaf?"

"I-I don't know! I swear, all I heard was that they were heading to the fortress!"

"Hah, these idiots. Get a knife. I'll take a finger."

"Please! Spare me!"

"...These bastards!"

Hearing the unmistakable sound of a friend's screams, David's mind snapped, and he rushed forward, intending to kill the one making the threats.

But as soon as he reached the village, his courage vanished.

"...David?"

"Well, well, if it isn't David! It's only been a few days, and I already missed you! You still have that same clueless look on your face!"

A man with a wild grin, reminiscent of a wildcat, mocked David with a wide smirk.

Seeing the last person he wanted to encounter, David froze in place.

The memories of getting beaten within an inch of his life by Tyler back on Earth flooded back.

As Tyler snickered at David, he opened his mouth to speak again, but a relaxed voice interrupted him.

"Is that him? He sure has a unique look. Maybe he has some cat genes."

It was the leader's calm voice, echoing from earlier.

Tyler frowned, looking at David for answers.

"And who the hell are these guys? I've never seen them before."

"Well, uh..."

Whack!

"Gah!"

Just as David tried to respond, a sharp pain flashed across his vision.

The large man from earlier had hit him again.

Despite this, the leader ignored the staggering David and glanced around.

"There are more of them than I expected. Now I see why you asked for help."

At that moment, David cleared his blurry vision and looked around.

He saw far more than expected—at least thirty pioneers surrounding the area.

It was clear that five different territories had joined forces.

"Damn it!"

A curse slipped out of David's mouth in despair.

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Of course, this was bound to happen.

When a previously powerful leader returned, the surrounding forces would naturally regroup.

As David realized this, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

'I have to send him back.'

If the leader had brought an army, it would be a different story, but there was no way they could win with this small number.

If a fight broke out, they would definitely blame David for bringing the lord here.

Knowing the leader's personality, David was sure he wouldn't survive if things went wrong.

He had to find a way to send the leader back before it was too late.

With a desperate look on his face, David approached the leader and whispered urgently,

"Lord... I mean, Lord. You have to run. Right now!"

"Why? You think we can't win because of their numbers?"

"It's not just that. The real problem is Tyler! He's...!"

Hesitating for a moment, Davide squeezed his eyes shut and spoke as if spitting blood.

"He's level 17! We can't win if we fight him head-on!"

"...."