Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

They continued exploring the city afterward. The city was so vast that there wasn't enough time to see everything within the limited time they had. Especially the castle, which was so far away that they had to exclude it from their exploration.

'The castle is the part I'm most curious about,' Justin thought. Though he was disappointed, he pushed the thought aside for now.

The castle was not only the lord's residence but also the place with the most secrets. Given enough time, the pioneers could have explored every corner of its interior. But considering that those who failed the trials would become their enemies, revealing too much to the winner would be a disastrous mistake. The current level of openness, just enough for the guests to grasp, was the perfect amount.

'More importantly, if the castle had been fully revealed, we would have constantly run into our competitors,' Justin thought.

As the Dark Elf had mentioned at the beginning, they weren't the only ones exploring the city. Along the way, they had encountered other pioneers two or three times.

"Who are they?!"

"Damn it! Get your weapons ready!"

Each time, the pioneers were startled, preparing for battle. But the Dark Elf appeared and shouted at both sides.

"No personal fights within the city! Both sides, stand down!"

Additionally, there was a rule that if anyone initiated a fight, the side that attacked first would be disqualified. Upon hearing this, the would-be attackers quickly stowed their weapons, looking shaken. Some of them glared at Justin's group in silent hostility, while others sighed in relief and headed off in different directions.

Among the people they encountered was someone they had crossed paths with recently.

"Wait, you... why are you here?" a familiar voice called out.

"Who are you again?" Justin asked, pretending not to remember.

"It's Emily! You saw me just a few hours ago!"

"I'm joking. Relax," Justin replied, making Emily's brow twitch with annoyance.

Emily was the leader of a group that had tried to corner Grayson and force him into elimination. When things had gotten bloody, she had backed off, but who would've thought they'd run into her here?

"What a coincidence, huh? Even though this is a Dark Elves' city, it's not the only one out there," Justin remarked casually.

"That's what I was going to say! Out of all the cities, why did it have to be this one?!" Emily fumed.

It was likely because they were both from the same cultural background—Korean. The system probably grouped them together to compete. Though Justin had no intention of explaining that to her.

"Well, it's fate, I guess. Good luck with the trial," Justin said with a smirk.

"...You know we're competitors, right? You're basically telling me to do well so I can get you kicked out."

"I never said you should do well. I just said good luck."

"...!"

Emily's face flushed red with frustration, and Justin couldn't help but chuckle. She was quite fun to tease.

"The time has come."

Just then, with a snap, the scenery around them shifted again. Though the sudden change was disorienting, everyone quickly adjusted since they had experienced it once before.

They had been transported to the front of the castle in the center of the city. Around them, many other pioneers had gathered as well.

'Looks like there are around thirty leaders. That's a lot,' Justin thought, impressed. They had only encountered others a few times while exploring, which made him realize just how vast the city was.

"Everyone has had a chance to explore our old city. Did you like it?" the Dark Elf asked.

No one answered. The pioneers were too busy eyeing each other, wary of their competitors. But even without a verbal response, the Dark Elf seemed to sense their thoughts and smiled.

"I see. It was impressive, wasn't it? You don't want to lose it, do you? I can see the desire to claim it at any cost."

"Enough with the chatter! Let's just start the trial already," a muscular male leader interrupted rudely.

His words were similar to what Justin had said earlier, but his tone was much rougher, bordering on insolent. The Dark Elf's eyes narrowed in displeasure.

"If you want the city, at least show some respect. While I do not have the power to choose the victor at will, I have every right to disqualify anyone I deem inappropriate. With thirty candidates, dropping one like you would be no trouble at all."

"...."

The man flinched at the coldness in her voice and took a step back. A few pioneers snickered at his sudden change in demeanor.

Once the interruption was dealt with, the Dark Elf scanned the group again.

"Let me make one thing clear. You're probably all thinking that the trial will involve combat, like most of you are used to. But I'm afraid, or perhaps I should say fortunately, that the trial isn't like that at all."

What is it, then?

Every pioneer stared at the Dark Elf with curiosity. She gave them a chilling smile as she spoke.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The first trial is this: choose one person from your group who will die for their leader. If they refuse, but everyone else in the group unanimously agrees, it will be accepted."

"...!?"

The unexpected nature of the test left everyone wide-eyed and speechless.

As silence dragged on, the Dark Elf spoke again.

"What's the problem? I said as long as everyone but the sacrifice agrees, it's fine."

Despite her clarification, no leader stepped forward to name a sacrifice. Of course, they wouldn't. After all, the only ones present were pioneers. Maybe if they had civilians in their group, they'd consider it, but sacrificing such valuable members was out of the question.

Moreover, the other pioneers were watching.

'Anyone who sacrifices one of their own would instantly create the fear that the same could happen to them,' Justin thought. Even if they chose a pioneer who wasn't well-liked, the act of offering up one of their own would leave a lasting impression. No reasonable leader, no matter how greedy, would volunteer for this trial.

"No one? Then I suppose the first trial will—"

"No, I have someone."

Before the Dark Elf could finish her sentence, Justin stepped forward. The other pioneers were shocked, but no one was more surprised than his own team.

"Justin!?"

"Sir!"

"W-What are you doing, my lord!?"

Ignoring the panicked cries of his companions, Justin approached the Dark Elf. Though she tried to maintain her composure, she seemed genuinely surprised by his actions.

"One thing I need to confirm. Can the sacrifice be anyone, as long as they are in my group?"

"...Yes. As long as everyone but the sacrifice agrees."

"So it really can be anyone? As long as they're under my command?"

"That's right. Why do you keep asking?" The Dark Elf's gaze was filled with suspicion as she watched Justin's persistent questions.

Grinning, Justin raised his voice.

"Summon Imp!"