Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"Ding! All temporary safe zones have been deactivated as of this moment."

"Ding! Buildings within the temporary safe zones will be automatically demolished."

As soon as the message ended, the distant pillars of light began to fade. These were the people who hadn't chosen a city to stay in by the deadline. It was unfortunate, but the responsibility lay with them for making the wrong decision, and now they would have to face the consequences.

With luck, some might manage to reach another city before it was too late, but that was only if fortune truly smiled on them.

"Ding! Main Quest 'Green Skin Wave' has been newly added."

"Ding! The start time of the 'Green Skin Wave' will be automatically notified to all pioneers."

"Ding! Please check the quest for further details."

It had finally arrived. Justin wasted no time in opening his status window to review the quest.

"Green Skin Wave"

Type: Main Quest

Details: The tremors of the earth have awakened the instincts of the green-skinned. All monsters with green skin will open their eyes to the call of slaughter and invade human territories. All pioneers must defend against three waves of Green Skins, or else their lands will be swept away by the tide of green.Reward: During the three-day wave period, experience points gained from killing Green Skin monsters will be multiplied by 5, and equipment from commander-level monsters can be looted.Other: Time remaining until the first wave [04:59:17].

Justin frowned as he read the quest details. Three waves? Did that mean they had to hold off attacks three times in a row? In the game, surviving just one wave was enough, but now they had to endure three?

'Of course, the mechanics can't be the same.'

In the game, there was only one wave, but the difficulty was staggering. Many players never even made it to the later stages, as they would be wiped out by the mid-game monster waves. However, if the same level of difficulty were applied to reality, most of the pioneers would be wiped out in an instant.

'It makes more sense that the difficulty has been spread out over three waves.'

The first wave might serve as a tutorial, the second for serious combat experience, and the third to deliver the true challenge of the wave. It was all speculation, but given the system's focus on nurturing pioneers, it seemed plausible.

"I just wish they'd lower the overall difficulty too," Justin muttered, though he knew it was an unlikely hope.

Stretching as he rose from his bed, Justin extended a hand. Fafnir, who had been napping beside him, climbed up his arm to perch on his shoulder.

"Kyahhh!" Fafnir cried, stretching as well, much like a human waking up in the morning.

"Did you sleep well?" Justin asked, stroking Fafnir's scales as he gazed toward the city wall. The pioneers and citizens were nervously conducting their final inspections, visibly tense from the messages about the upcoming wave.

A quiet thought escaped from Justin's lips as he watched them.

"It's war."

"Keek." Fafnir's mouth stretched into a wide grin, as if it understood the word 'war' and found joy in the idea of the upcoming bloodshed. Justin chuckled—after all, Fafnir was still a dragon, a creature of primal instinct and destruction.

"Hey, Justin," came the voices of his comrades the moment he stepped onto the wall.

"Lord Justin."

"Big brother."

It seemed they had all gathered while he was preparing. Although there were still four hours left before the real battle began, they had already assembled.

"You're all here early. I haven't even issued the official call yet," Justin said, surprised.

"We wanted to double-check the placements. Just in case we missed something," Ethan replied.

"You could have done that two hours from now. If you waste your energy being too nervous early on, you'll tire yourself out before the fight even starts."

"Even if we tried to rest, we wouldn't be able to relax. It's better to let everyone do what makes them feel at ease, even if it's staying on alert," Ethan explained with a bitter smile, gesturing toward the others.

"I get what you mean," Justin replied, though he sighed in mild exasperation.

"And you're here yourself, aren't you, my lord?" Ethan added.

"...I'm just here for a pre-battle inspection," Justin countered, though his words sounded more like an excuse.

His comrades smiled faintly at his response. It was clear that, despite their confidence, everyone was harboring some degree of anxiety. They were checking everything repeatedly, making sure there were no gaps in their defenses. But as the leader, Justin knew his nervousness could easily spread to the others, so he made sure to put on a relaxed expression.

With a flourish, Justin slammed his staff onto the ground with a loud crack.

"Bang!"

"Well, it seems like they're dividing the wave into three parts, so the first one will probably be a simple tutorial. We'll sweep through it and then take it easy!" he shouted with a grin.

"Yes, sir!" his comrades responded, their voices filled with energy.

Even those further away, who hadn't heard his words, seemed to feel the shift in the atmosphere and smiled, their anxious expressions lightening. Sensing their rising morale, Justin raised his voice again.

"You all have over four hours left! What are you doing standing around inspecting the wall?"

"...?"

"Go get some food! If there's anything you want to eat, just tell me! Your lord will treat you to a feast!"

"...!"

Both the pioneers and citizens stared wide-eyed at Justin. Even though they could buy Earth's food from the shops, the prices were steep. Proper meals, like those from restaurants, were rare treats even for the pioneers. But now Justin was offering to pay for everything.

Moments later, a thunderous cheer erupted along the wall.

"Woohoo!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Long live Lord Justin!"

The faces of those who had been trembling with fear now shone with excitement. Watching their joyful reactions, Justin smiled contentedly.

"Good, keep that morale high. If they stay like this, the food will be worth every coin."