Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Chapter 169 postle of Eternity

'Finally.'

The Apostle of Eternity—one of the most powerful and rare hidden classes in World Rebuild. Normally, one would have to endure all kinds of suffering and pass four grueling trials to barely earn this reward.

Yet here it was, in his hands, without any significant struggle. All it had taken was a bit of patience.

'This feels amazing.'

Though it might be strange to say, the fact that he had obtained this reward through cleverness made it feel even more valuable. There was no room for tricks with the other hidden classes that could rival the Apostle of Eternity. While others struggled through unfair trials, he would walk ahead with a smile.

Just thinking about it made him want to burst out laughing.

『What are you standing around for? Hurry up and put it on!』 Kargaron's voice boomed impatiently.

"...You're in quite a rush," Justin muttered, smiling at the Duke's impatience as he lifted the crown toward his head.

The hexagram-shaped crown fit perfectly, as though it had been made specifically for him.

Swoosh.

"Ugh!"

As soon as the crown touched his head, something sharp pierced through it. It didn't twist through his physical brain, but rather, it felt as though his soul and the crown were becoming one. Once the crown had fully merged with his soul, a series of system messages rang out.

"Ding! You have equipped the quest item 'Crown of Eternity' and changed your class to 'Apostle of Eternity'."

"Ding! The class 'Apostle of Eternity' has been born. No other pioneer can obtain this class from now on."

"Ding! Skills that had been weakened will return to their original power. Kargaron's authority has been added."

"Ding! Due to the class change, some skills will be replaced or evolve into higher-tier skills."

Once again, Justin's vision was flooded with white.

Cheers erupted in the distance.

Woooooo!This drink goes down smooth!As expected of a pioneer!

"So they're having the time of their lives," muttered a young man named Dylan, squinting his eyes at the distant celebration. Every time he heard those joyful cheers, his insides twisted.

But the cheering showed no sign of stopping.

Wow, you're really putting it away!One more round! One more round!Come on, you've had enough!What are you talking about? We're pioneers now!Exactly, this is nothing for a pioneer!

Grit.

In the midst of the noise, someone ground their teeth. It was one of the people nearby, someone standing close to Dylan. Letting out a deep sigh, Dylan glanced at the group and spoke quietly.

"Hold it in."

"...."

There was no response. It was hard to tell who had made the sound. Dozens of people sat slumped on the ground, their heads bowed, so it could have been any of them. Dylan raised his voice slightly.

"I feel just as upset as you do, but we all know that lashing out at them would just be pointless venting."

"...."

"They're not doing this on purpose. Let's just endure it for a bit longer, and don't forget—we're the newcomers here."

Only then did the people around him start to loosen their tightly clenched fists, their knuckles pale from the pressure. It wasn't the most satisfying response, but for now, it was the best he could hope for. No matter what else he said, it wouldn't make a difference.

Dylan resigned himself to the situation and walked over to a woman sitting in the corner of the building.

"We should let them take care of it now. We can't stay here forever," he said gently.

"...How could I?"

The young woman, whose face was still streaked with fresh tear marks, wiped her eyes as she mumbled. In her arms lay the body of her father, a middle-aged man who had passed away that morning.

"If I let them take him, they'll burn him. They'll burn my dad."

"They're going to cremate him, not burn him."

"What's the difference? They'll just light him on fire until he's nothing but ashes. There won't be a proper funeral, no urn, and we can't even scatter the ashes somewhere meaningful."

"Should I ask them to bury him for you? See if we can get some land for that?"

'This bastard...'

Dylan's fists clenched tightly. It was only natural for people to want to boast, but his timing couldn't have been worse. Baek's patience had already worn thin.

"You bastard."

"...?"

Dylan blinked, wondering if he had said that out loud. But it wasn't him.

"Did you come here to mock us?"

"We're already on edge, and you show up here like this?"

"Hey, are you a pioneer? Are you the pioneer?"

Only after hearing the other voices did Dylan realize that someone else had said what he was thinking. He wasn't the only one who had reached the limits of his patience. Furious glares came from all around, directed at the man who had brought the food. The man, realizing the danger, began to panic.

"Wh-what's going on? I just came to share some rice cakes..."

"Rice cakes? Or were you just here to rub it in our faces?"

"You think you're so lucky. We watched our families die by the hands of pioneers."

"We didn't even recover their bodies. The monsters ate them all. They ate my whole family!"

As the crowd closed in, the man's face turned pale. He was starting to realize that he might not make it out of this alive.

Terrified, he screamed, "Help! Someone help! These people are trying to kill me!"

"...!"

"Somebody, please! Guys, I'm going to die!"

His desperate cries brought the crowd to a halt. They suddenly became aware of the situation they were in. But it was too late—his shout had already carried. Moments later, people came running from the direction the man had come from.

"What the hell are you doing to our uncle!?"

The people who arrived were armed. Everyone around Dylan froze at the sight of them.

Pioneers. They might have been low-level, but they were clearly pioneers.

"You bastards! We tried to share some food, and this is how you repay us?"

"Is this how you return a favor? By threatening to kill him?"

"N-no, that's not what we meant...!"

"A favor, my ass! We're sick of hearing you bragging!"

Dylan's face turned pale as he tried to de-escalate the situation, but the anger that had been simmering was now boiling over.

"You were just civilians a few days ago. What makes you so special?"

"You're mocking people whose families have died, and you call yourselves human!?"

"When my child died, you stuffed your face with rice cakes. When my father died, you danced!"

"Yeah, sure. You're so great! I hope the monsters kill every last one of you when you're out hunting!"

The people had given up on survival and were now spewing insults at the pioneers, even in the face of their weapons. Every curse made the pioneers' faces harden, their anger turning into something much darker.

'No, this can't happen.'

Dylan wanted to scream. If this continued, a massacre was inevitable. And just as one of the new pioneers let out a roar, everything spiraled out of control.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Ahhh!"

A pioneer, his sword raised, charged at the crowd. The moment someone screamed as the blade swung toward their head—

"Ding! Pioneer 'Justin' has unlocked the hidden class 'Apostle of Eternity'."

"Ding! No other pioneer can change to the class 'Apostle of Eternity'."

"Ding! Any ongoing class quests for this job will be terminated."

A black storm erupted from the castle, accompanied by the system message.