Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

The harpies contorted their faces in pain, twisting in the air. It was hard to tell whether they were in agony or simply terrified. Even their crow-like screeching had changed. What once sounded like laughter now resembled screams. Some of them even lost control of their wings, plummeting to the ground.

"Kieeee!"

Thud

"They fell!"

The harpy that crashed into the ground twisted in pain, clearly injured, though not fatally. The moment the pioneers saw the wounded harpy, a spark lit in their eyes.

"These damn creatures! How dare they...!" one shouted.

"Kill them all!" another cried.

The pioneers charged forward, swinging their weapons to make up for their earlier panic. The fallen harpy, overwhelmed by a rain of blows, was quickly slain. The mages, who had finally regained their composure, also unleashed a flurry of spells.

"Energy Bolt!"

"Magic Missile!"

Boom, boom!

"Kyaaa!"

The harpies, still too disoriented to evade, fell under the barrage of spells. It didn't even matter if the attacks hit vital spots. As long as they were struck, they lost control and fell to the ground, where the warriors swiftly finished them off.

"Black Missile!"

Thwack! Your next read is at empire

"Kiik...!"

The spell easily pierced through the harpy's body, not much tougher than a gnoll's. One by one, the harpy corpses began to pile up around the battlefield.

Justin approached one of the bodies, and as he did, it crumbled into dust.

"Ding! The Staff of Gluttony devours the essence remaining in the corpse."

"Ding! Your depleted magic has been replenished."

"Ding! The 'Black Missile' spell has been fully recharged."

"Impressive."

Even after using spells freely, all Justin had to do was get near the corpses to immediately replenish his magic. For every two harpy corpses he passed, he gained back enough mana for one Black Missile. Though the number of bodies on the field was slowly diminishing, it was far from a concern.

'After all, I'm not the only one killing these monsters.'

"Another one's down! Finish it!" a pioneer shouted.

"Kyaaa!"

Before Justin's thoughts even finished, another harpy was struck down by the others. The pioneers' magic brought the harpy crashing to the ground, where it was swiftly dealt with. As time passed, the harpies seemed to regain their composure, fluttering their wings more steadily, but by then, it was far too late.

With only three harpies remaining, the battle was essentially over. The remaining harpies were brought down shortly afterward.

Thwack!

"...!"

Nathan's arrow pierced through the neck of the last harpy, sending it crashing to the ground. And with that, the first battle was won.

"Well done," Justin said, turning to Fafnir perched on his shoulder. He gently stroked the dragon's head, and the little creature nuzzled into his hand, clearly enjoying the attention.

'If it hadn't stepped in, we would've taken a lot of damage. Or I might've had to waste my spells right at the start.'

In that sense, Fafnir's help had been invaluable. If they had suffered losses at the beginning of the battle, it would have shaken the group's morale. Even if no one had died, the pioneers would have complained about their bad luck, which would have been troublesome for Justin as their leader.

'But thanks to Dragon Fear, we were able to avoid that. Even though it's still young, it seems to have overcome its fear.'n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Justin had always known about Dragon Fear, a skill that exuded the dragon's presence and terrified all surrounding enemies. It was a highly useful ability, one he had planned to use once Fafnir reached adulthood. But to his surprise, Fafnir had been able to use it even as a youngling.

'This little one's more useful than I thought. Maybe it's not just a pet to train until adulthood, but a real backup force I can use when things get tough.'

As Justin finished this thought, he glanced up to see the pioneers, most of whom were now avoiding his gaze.

"...."

Despite their victory, none of the pioneers were cheering. It was understandable—if not for Fafnir, they would have been in serious trouble. It wasn't as if they had been fighting an unbeatable foe, which would have excused their fear. They had panicked against an enemy they could have beaten, only regaining their composure at the last second.

'Still, it's hard to scold them when we've just won.'

Victory was victory, no matter how poorly the fight had started.

"...There will be more enemies like this in the future—ones that look terrifying but are just for show. Don't panic, and follow orders quickly!"

After giving them this short piece of advice, Justin restructured the formation, just as he had initially planned.

Some of the pioneers, seeing the restructured formation, blushed in embarrassment. It was clear they thought their position at the rear made them look like cowards, as if they were being protected as weaker members.

'So, they think I see them as cowards now?' Justin thought as he noticed their reactions.

He had a pretty good idea of what they were thinking, but he wasn't going to bother correcting their misunderstanding. If the embarrassment helped them become braver, it would be all the better for him.

"Alright, let's go!" Justin called out as they finished organizing. The group moved forward, leaving the harpies' bodies behind and heading deeper into the path between the ancient trees, seeking the city that would become the foundation for their nation.

The journey ahead remained mostly uneventful. The only real problem was the oppressive atmosphere of the path. The dried trees, the endless unchanged scenery, and the complete silence—there wasn't even the sound of a single insect.

"It feels like a ghost could pop out at any second," Derek muttered, voicing what everyone was thinking.

No one was asking for an exciting journey, but even a small change in scenery would have helped break the monotony. The shame from their earlier battle with the harpies had long since faded, replaced by a tense unease that only grew with every step.

'Is this a test of willpower?' Justin thought, looking at the other pioneers. While he and his companions could handle it, the others—who had barely dealt with gnolls before this—seemed to be mentally exhausted.

Given the nature of their previous trials, Justin wondered if this too was a test for him as a leader. Perhaps this was meant to see if he could maintain morale in such a bleak and unsettling environment.

'Or maybe I'm overthinking it,' Justin mused with a wry smile, glancing down the seemingly endless path ahead. The mood was getting too grim. Perhaps it was time for some light conversation to break the tension.