Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Just as Derek was about to approach Calvin with a scowl, a voice interrupted. "Quick work, I see. Is it already over?"

The powerful pioneers immediately parted, standing to the sides as a young man, Justin, approached, calmly looking over the migrants. Dressed in a jet-black robe with a staff adorned with a crystal and a baby dragon perched on his shoulder, Justin looked like he had just stepped out of a fantasy film.

"Yes. They came at us so confidently, I thought they had something up their sleeves. But they're no different from level 1 citizens, with no equipment or status screens," Ethan reported.

"The more I hear, the more ridiculous this gets. You're the ones from Earth, right?" Justin asked.

"That's right!" Calvin, missing several teeth, stood up and shouted, his words slightly slurred but understandable.

Justin's eyes narrowed. "Are you talking to me in that tone?"

"This bastard!"

"Hmph!"

Despite the tense atmosphere, Calvin let out a mocking laugh. To any observer, it might have seemed like madness, but in truth, it was all part of his plan.

'If things continue like this, I'll end up as a slave for sure. The only thing left to do is show some backbone.'

Calvin was betting on a familiar trope from countless stories—sometimes, even slavers would pause and reconsider when they saw someone with spirit. It was a far-fetched idea in reality, but Calvin trusted his instincts. After all, he had always followed his gut, and it had never led him astray.

It was his decision to head to the large supermarket that had allowed him to secure abundant supplies. There, he had met his old classmates, and through sheer force of will, he had dethroned Travis from his leadership position. From then on, Calvin had been their leader, successfully gathering his group and leading them to this point.

'This will work. It always does.'

He stared directly at his opponent, refusing to back down. Derek's face twisted in irritation as he clenched his fist.

"Let me knock some sense into him," Derek growled.

"No, leave him," Justin said calmly.

"What?" Derek blinked in surprise.

"I'll handle this," Justin's cold voice made Derek step back.

Justin approached Calvin, his eyes sharp. "So, you're the leader, right?"

"Yeah!" Calvin responded, his defiance clear.

"Thought so. Anyone who still can't grasp the situation and doesn't kneel must be the leader."

"…?"

Calvin blinked, suddenly uncertain. Did I make a mistake? A growing sense of unease began to creep in, but before Calvin could say anything—

"Black Missile."

Thud!

With a short incantation, Calvin's body crumpled to the ground, his head blown clean off. The stunned migrants stared in disbelief at the headless corpse. Justin's voice echoed in their ears, sending chills down their spines.

"If you don't know your place, you die."

"…!"

"Now then…" Justin's icy gaze turned to the remaining migrants. "Isn't there anyone here who understands their situation and can tell me what's been going on with Earth?"

"Me! Me! I'll explain!"

"No, I'll do it!"

"Please, I know everything!"

Desperate cries for mercy erupted from all directions. Justin smiled coldly as he considered the pleas, his expression reminiscent of a butcher selecting which pig to spare at the slaughterhouse.

'So, not much useful information after all.'

As Justin had expected, most of what the migrants shared was personal, offering little insight into the broader situation on Earth. They babbled about their own experiences, what they had endured, and how they had made it this far, but nothing about the larger picture.

Still, there were a few tidbits worth noting.

'So, they're provided with potatoes and water based on their numbers. That means starvation isn't much of a concern.'

With food being provided regularly, it was likely that a significant number of people had survived on Earth. Sure, some might die to monsters or in fights with each other, but with the food problem solved, those numbers would be negligible compared to the billions of people still alive before the apocalypse. Even if half, or a quarter, of Earth's population survived, there would still be millions.

If even small groups of survivors formed nations, hundreds of new countries could be established.

'Maybe this world will start to resemble a proper nation sooner than expected.'

For Justin, this was excellent news. His city was currently struggling with a lack of population, but if there were enough survivors on Earth, it wouldn't take long to fill it up. He imagined the bustling streets and thriving city, overflowing with people.

As he indulged in these thoughts, Ethan leaned in and whispered to him. "Lord Justin, what should we do with these people?"

"Turn them into slaves, of course," Justin replied without hesitation.

These migrants had seen his city and, instead of trying to cooperate, had decided to seize it for themselves. Back on Earth, they had occupied a large supermarket and terrorized anyone who came for supplies. Such people didn't deserve to be treated like citizens.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"But… is that wise? Right now, they're being obedient, but what if they start harboring dangerous thoughts later? They could cause trouble—like taking a pioneer's family hostage or launching an attack on the citizens. When people are desperate, they'll do anything."

Justin chuckled at Ethan's concern. These weren't the type of people to act out of desperation. They were reckless because they didn't truly understand fear. But that didn't mean Ethan was entirely wrong.

'They're used to bullying the weak, so becoming slaves overnight would be a hard reality to accept.'

Even if they couldn't defy the pioneers, there was always the chance they'd snap and turn on the weak—especially if that meant targeting the pioneers' families.

"Alright then, let's give them some slave training before we make them official," Justin said.

"Slave training? Do you have something in mind?" Ethan asked, curious.

"I just came up with it, but it'll work perfectly on people like them," Justin smirked darkly.

"All we need to do is make them understand that their lives could end at any moment."