Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

'They're scared,' Justin thought.

It was understandable. In any era or situation, when it came time to select a sacrifice, people always looked for the same thing—whether the person was useful or not. In that sense, neither Justin nor his pioneers were even considered.

'After all, we just wiped out over five hundred monsters with ease.'

There was no way they would pick someone from Justin's group to sacrifice, either in terms of contribution or combat ability. That left only Damian's group, Elias, and the other pioneers from the opposing factions. They must have assumed that Justin would force one of them to make the sacrifice.

Smiling faintly, Justin shook his head.

"Don't be so scared. None of you will have to offer up a sacrifice," Justin said calmly.

At his words, both Damian and Elias visibly relaxed, especially Elias, who sighed in relief, clutching his chest. He had likely assumed it was their turn to be used for dangerous tasks, just like before.

"Haha, I knew it! I knew someone like you wouldn't throw away your allies, Justin," Elias said.

"No, if it were my direct subordinates or close aides, I might consider it. But with a temporary alliance like this, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice someone if things got tough," Justin replied bluntly.

"...."

"By the way, if you're not planning on using a sacrifice, do you have another method in mind?" Damian asked, ignoring Elias's stunned silence.

Justin grinned and nodded.

"Of course. We have a friend who helps out in situations like this."

"...?" Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Both Damian and Elias exchanged puzzled glances, clearly not understanding what Justin meant. But Justin ignored them and called on his old friend.

"Summon Imp!"

A moment later, after three desperate screams, they easily passed through the trap-laden area. Once again, Justin thought, in this harsh world, there's nothing like having good friends.

Their march continued after that. More traps appeared, but none were difficult to disable. With Nathan leading the way, they managed to break through each trap with ease. Nathan, in particular, seemed to be thriving, as if he were a fish that had finally found water. Meanwhile, as Justin's group cleared trap after trap, the other two factions grew more and more discouraged.

As they continued forward, Justin casually voiced a question that had come to mind.

"By the way, don't your groups have any scouts?"

Having explored dungeons before, they should have realized the importance of raising scouts. It was strange that no one had brought any on this expedition.

At Justin's question, Damian's expression darkened, and he shook his head.

"No, we don't have any."

"What? None? Not even one?"

"Not a single one," Damian said firmly, leaving Justin speechless.

It didn't seem like a lie, but why hadn't they raised any scouts? With their resources, they should have been able to train at least one or two.

"No one wanted to take on the role," Damian explained.

"Couldn't you have made them do it?"

"Choosing a class is based on free will. Forcing someone into it will only lead to regret later," Damian replied.

Ah, so that's how he thinks, Justin realized.

It seemed the idea of "making someone a pioneer in exchange for rewards" didn't even occur to Damian. Supporting someone who wanted to become a pioneer was the natural course of action for him, so the idea of bargaining for it didn't even cross his mind. For Damian, providing support was part of a leader's duty, and the choice of class was something only the individual had the right to decide.

Justin clicked his tongue and glanced over at Elias.

"What about you? No scouts?"

"I don't have any, either," Elias replied.

"Why not?"

"It's cheaper to sacrifice non-believers."

"...."

Justin sighed, realizing he had made a mistake in asking.

Both of them were too peculiar to serve as valid comparisons. One had an almost bizarrely egalitarian structure, while the other ruled through religious fear. Justin had been hoping to get a sense of how the average factions managed their domains, but he was left disappointed.

"Justin, I think we've arrived," Nathan's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Justin lifted his head and looked ahead.

A massive door stood before them, similar to the ones he had seen in treasure vaults during previous dungeon explorations.

"...Is this really the end?"

Justin couldn't help but let out a short laugh. They had only encountered two other leaders, fought one battle, and passed through a few traps, and now it seemed the main quest was over?

'What on earth is going on?'

Rumble.

As if answering his question, the door to the treasure vault opened. The pioneers, who had been nervously watching the door, widened their eyes in surprise as they gazed inside.

There was no grand decor, no imposing throne, and not even a single coin that one might expect from a dungeon. All that lay inside was a single shield, seemingly designed for warriors, and another massive door behind it.

'As I thought.'

Justin turned his gaze away from the shield and toward the second door, his lips curling into a smile.

Up until now, everything had been a tutorial, a warm-up. Beyond that door lay the true beginning of the main quest.

'I knew something was off.'

The familiar structure, the traps he had seen before—it all felt like a rehash of past challenges. While the difficulty was higher, everything else had remained the same. These weren't the kinds of trials you'd expect from a main quest that promised massive rewards.

Now, it was clear that everything up to this point had been a kind of warning.

Justin knew they were scared. It was understandable. Whenever someone had to be chosen as a sacrifice, people always looked at the same thing: whether or not the person was useful. In this case, neither Justin nor his pioneers were considered.

'After all, we just wiped out over five hundred monsters.'

In terms of contribution and combat power, there was no way anyone would suggest someone from Justin's group. That left only Damian, Elias, and their pioneers. They were probably convinced that Justin would pick one of them to sacrifice. Justin chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't worry so much. None of you will have to offer up a sacrifice," he said.

Both Damian and Elias visibly relaxed at his words, especially Elias, who let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had been expecting his group to be chosen for another dangerous task, just like before.

"Haha, I knew it! I knew someone like you wouldn't throw away your allies, Justin," Elias said, trying to laugh off his earlier fear.

"No, if it were one of my direct subordinates or close aides, I might consider it. But with a temporary alliance like this, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice someone if things got tough," Justin replied bluntly.

"...."

Elias fell silent, not knowing how to respond to that.

"By the way, if you're not planning to offer a sacrifice, do you have another method in mind?" Damian asked, stepping forward.

Justin grinned and nodded.

"Of course. We have a friend who helps in situations like this."

"...?"

Both Damian and Elias exchanged confused looks. But Justin ignored them and summoned his old friend.

"Summon Imp!"

A few moments later, after three piercing screams, they easily passed through the trap-filled area. Justin couldn't help but think, in this harsh world, there's nothing quite like having good friends.

Their advance continued after that. More traps appeared, but none were difficult to disable. With Nathan leading the way, they quickly broke through each one. Nathan himself seemed to be thriving, like a fish that had just been returned to water. Meanwhile, as Justin's group handled both combat and trap disarming, the other two factions began to grow increasingly demoralized.

As they moved forward, a thought crossed Justin's mind, and he voiced it aloud.

"By the way, don't your groups have any scouts?"