Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Aaron may have used a lot of violence, but surprisingly, he had caused very few deaths. It wasn't because he was more merciful than Kim Ki-hoon; he simply hadn't accumulated as much resentment from the citizens. Still, the things Aaron did to the citizens were far worse.

After hearing about what other pioneers had done, the citizens would be a hundred, even a thousand times more grateful to join Justin.

"Well, in order to fund this relocation, we need to focus on conquering the dungeon for now."

Justin halted at the crest of a hill in the hilly area. The brass compass needle pointed toward the cleverly hidden dungeon entrance. Pushing against the plain green door, it opened silently and smoothly—completely opposite to the loud, rusty sound it had made in the past.

"Is everyone ready?" Justin asked.

"Absolutely," Rachel and Derek answered energetically, eager to test their newly acquired gear against powerful monsters.

Nathan, on the other hand, fiddled with his flute, a bit disappointed that he couldn't use the Pegasus in a confined space like the dungeon.

"Alright, let's go."

As they entered the dungeon, the sight was familiar. A long corridor stretched out before them, flanked by torches that lit up as they walked. The main difference from before was the pattern on the stone walls and the occasional decorations.

They hadn't gone far when a sound echoed through the space.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

"Here they come again," Justin muttered.

The group tensed, gripping their weapons as the heavy footsteps drew nearer. It seemed like a rule in every dungeon that monsters would greet them at the start.

"Luckily, it doesn't sound like there are many of them," Nathan remarked.

"That doesn't make it any easier. It could be three orcs," Ethan said, his voice tense.

"Don't jinx it, man. Words have power, you know," Derek grumbled.

"Graaahhh!"

Before Derek could continue, a roar interrupted him. Three large shadows appeared before them—three green-skinned orcs.

"See? Not my fault," Justin said, scratching his cheek.

"I know, but I still feel like blaming you!" Derek growled, gripping his thunderous hammer tightly.

As they all prepared for battle, Justin's eyes locked onto the orc standing at the back.

"An orc shaman?"

It was hard to see at first, but upon closer inspection, the orc was wearing a tattered robe—if you could call it that. The shaman exhaled through its nose and raised its hands to the sky.

"Paya Boru!"

A massive fireball began forming above the shaman's head, and Justin cursed under his breath.

"You've got to be kidding me! Is that an Elementalist?"

Elementalists were known for their raw destructive power, capable of wiping out entire groups with a single spell. Without proper defenses, the group could be wiped out in one shot.

"The difficulty here is insane!"

"Humans! All of you will die!"

"Rachel! Shield!" Justin barked.

As the shaman hurled the fireball, Rachel stepped forward, raising her anti-magic shield just in time. The orcs grinned, expecting the humans to be engulfed in flames. However, their glee quickly turned to shock as the fireball scattered harmlessly.

Boom!

"Kuh?!"

"Good job, Rachel!" Justin praised as Rachel smiled, the shield dispersing the attack with ease.

Undeterred, the shaman began chanting again.

"Pa-Paya Boru!"

"Double Amplification—Black Missile."

Just as the shaman completed its spell, Justin fired off his own. The two spells collided midair, but the result was almost instantaneous.

Boom!

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Thud.

"Kuh!"

Once again, the fireball was blocked by Rachel's shield, but this time, Justin's Black Missile struck the shaman square in the forehead, piercing through. The orc shaman collapsed, and the remaining orcs jumped in rage.

"Shaman! Our friend is dead!"

"Humans! We will not forgive you!"

"They make us sound like villains," Justin muttered. "Double Amplification—Black Missile."

"Graaah!"

Justin's enhanced spell flew toward the two orcs charging at him. He managed to take down one before it reached him, but the second orc got close enough to attack.

Before it could swing its weapon, Derek leaped forward with his thunderous hammer.

"Hyaahhh!"

"You think you can stop me, puny human!?" the orc scoffed, swinging its axe to meet Derek's hammer head-on. It was confident it could overpower Derek in a direct clash.

Boom!

"Gah...!"

The orc's confidence shattered as the hammer's shockwave not only knocked away its axe but also crushed its chest. The orc twitched briefly before collapsing in a heap.

With the battle ending so swiftly, the group blinked in disbelief.

"Did we just... win? Against three orcs, this quickly?" Ethan asked, astonished.

"Were orcs always this weak?" Nathan added.

"Of course not. If we didn't have the dungeon rewards, it would've been much harder. Anyway, great work, everyone! If we keep going like this—"

Justin was about to congratulate his team when a sudden system message appeared before him.

[You have reached level 25, allowing for a second job advancement.]

[The Black Warlock's second job quest, 'Whispers of the Demon,' has been triggered.]

[The Dukes of the Demon World invite your soul to the Gathering of the Ten Thousand Demons.]

As the unexpected message filled Justin's vision, everything around him went black.

"...Where am I?"

Justin squinted at his surroundings, his gaze narrowing in confusion. In less than three seconds, everything had changed.

'A colosseum?'

He was no longer standing in the stone chamber of a dungeon. Instead, he found himself at the center of a massive, circular building that resembled a colosseum. The structure was made of black stone, and eerie red light reflected off various surfaces, giving the entire place a sinister atmosphere.

The sky above was an ominous purple, with lightning constantly striking down. Every time a bolt hit, it was followed by the sound of shattering glass. Scattered around the sky were black holes that looked as though a giant had torn through the heavens.

"...It feels like I'm staring at an actual version of hell," Justin muttered.

『Indeed. This is the true hell, the birthplace of all demons.』

A heavy voice echoed around him. Startled, Justin looked around to see four shadows looming where there had been none before. Each shadow was about twice the size of a human, but the pressure they exuded was far greater than their size.

It felt as if mountains with eyes were watching him.

Following the first voice, the remaining three shadows spoke in unison.

『Do you like our home, one who seeks power?』

『I predict that even if you don't like it now, you'll come to appreciate it soon enough.』

『Indeed, this is the place every Warlock dreams of.』

The voices boomed from all directions, causing Justin to wince. Though the shadows stood at a distance, the sheer force of their voices made his ears ring. Even after shaking his head and tapping his ears, the buzzing wouldn't stop.

The shadows, seeing his discomfort, laughed even louder. Irritated by their mockery, Justin didn't bother hiding his frustration.

"Can you stop babbling already? If you've got something to say, explain it properly. Stop playing your little games."

『....』

『....』

At Justin's blunt words, the laughter came to an abrupt halt. Though their expressions were hidden, it was clear the shadows were caught off guard. For a moment, they exchanged glances as if unsure how to proceed.

After a brief pause, the red shadow spoke with a deep voice.

『...Truly, you are bold. To speak like that in our presence, you are indeed worthy of being here.』

"Cut the crap. I know you can't attack me. Stop acting like you're letting me off the hook and get to the point, or just send me back. You're really getting on my nerves."

The shadows fell silent again, clearly unsettled. But Justin was starting to piece things together.

'This is one of the halls where Warlocks undergo their second job advancement. Specifically, this is the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, meant for Warlocks.'

The beings before him were undoubtedly the Four Great Dukes of the Demon World. Their presence might be overwhelming, but Justin knew their role here: they were nothing more than glorified instructors for the second job advancement.

'There's no way they can touch me. They're just here to intimidate me with their theatrics.'

The demons had likely expected Justin to cower and bow before them. But since they couldn't use any physical force against him, they had to rely on creating an atmosphere of fear. Unfortunately for them, Justin wasn't the type to fall for such tricks.

『You insolent fool! How dare you stand so proudly before us, wielding the power of black magic?』

『Do you not desire strength? Do you not crave greater power? We are the ones who can grant you that!』

『Kneel! Fear us! If you want power, you must show us your devotion. Without it, you will gain nothing from us!』

Justin rolled his eyes. 'Oh, now they're trying to use the second job advancement as leverage.'

Since their intimidation tactics weren't working, they were resorting to threatening to withhold the advancement.

"Oh, really? So, because I've been disrespectful, you're not going to give me any power? Are you going to kick me out of here?"

『What if we do?』

The shadows chuckled darkly, their gaze fixed on him. It was clear they expected him to give in.

Justin glanced at the shadows and then, without warning, plopped down on the ground.

"Man, this is such a joke! I worked hard to level up, and now there's no reward? What kind of broken system is this?"

『...!?』

The shadows froze, stunned by his reaction. Even though Justin's behavior was childish, they were completely taken aback by his sudden tantrum.

"What's the point of leveling up if there's no reward? This whole thing is messed up! I should've just stayed a citizen instead of wasting my time hunting!"

『S-stop that.』

Justin didn't stop. He began flailing his arms and legs dramatically, raising his voice even louder.

"If I ever get out of here, I'm going to tell everyone! Don't level up past 24! At 25, you won't get any power, and you'll get trapped in this weird place!"

『Enough! Enough of this nonsense! Who said you'd be trapped here!?』

"Messed-up game! Terrible game! There's no reward! No reward at all! They said they wouldn't give me anything!"

『ENOUGH!!』

Boom!

The red shadow slammed its massive hand against the ground, causing the entire colosseum to shake violently. The sheer force of the impact sent tremors through the air. Even after shaking the building, the shadow's anger hadn't subsided.

『What is wrong with you!? Who are you talking to? Why are you saying such ridiculous things!? Do you think we'll give in to such behavior!?』

"No, but maybe the system will listen."

『What...!?』

"I mean, whoever assigned you to this job—whoever controls the system might be paying attention."

Justin wasn't sure if the system had a personality, but it was clear that these demon dukes had been assigned the role of second job instructors.

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