Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Chapter 159 159

Ethan's eyes held confusion rather than admiration.

Had everything Justin said up until now just been bluffing?

"W-was that a trick?" Ethan asked, flustered.

"I wouldn't call it a trick. It's more like I exaggerated the possibilities a bit," Justin replied casually.

"But if that prediction turns out to be wrong..." Ethan hesitated.

"What do you think will happen?" Justin countered with a smirk.

Ethan darted his eyes around before responding, "A lot of pioneers will probably die."

"Well, they're all enemies anyway. That'll make things easier when we go to war," Justin said with a casual shrug.

"And a lot of settlers will be massacred too," Ethan continued.

"That'll make the class system look like a blessing. It'll be easier for them to become commoners," Justin replied with a chuckle.

"They might turn their blame on us for deceiving them," Ethan added.

"Are you really afraid of the resentment from fools who threw away their chance to level up?" Justin said sharply.

At that point, Ethan paused, reconsidering the situation. Sure, many people might die, but was it really something to be overly concerned about? The pioneers clearly had an overwhelming desire to conquer and take over the city, and the settlers were only looking for protection while rejecting any form of hierarchy.

Was there really a need to tell them the truth? Especially when they would tear Justin and his group apart if they saw even the slightest weakness.

"Hmm," Ethan murmured.

"Do you understand now?" Justin asked.

"Yes, I don't see any issues," Ethan nodded, now in agreement.

"Exactly," Justin said as they both clapped their hands together, grinning.

"Be thankful you got potions at all," Justin added. "If anyone causes trouble, handle them like you did before—rough them up just enough."

"Understood," Ethan said.

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"Good. Are the houses all assigned?" Justin asked.

"Yes. We've placed them a bit away from the original settlers to prevent confusion," Ethan explained.

"I'd like to integrate them as much as possible, but this isn't the time for that," Justin sighed as he continued managing the growing list of issues.

It wasn't until after 5 a.m. that the situation finally began to calm down. The dark night sky was starting to turn blue with the early signs of morning.

"Ugh, this is driving me crazy," Justin muttered, pressing his fingers to his temple as exhaustion weighed down on him. The third wave was drawing closer.

Thankfully, there was enough time before the next wave. The system seemed to be giving them a chance to prepare thoroughly and rest. By simple calculation, they had over six hours to sleep—at least in theory.

"In theory, yes. But since our normal sleep schedule's been disrupted, there's no way anyone's sleeping well," Justin remarked.

"Exactly. I only managed about four hours myself," Rachel sighed, brushing her hair back with a tired hand.

Though she didn't look too bad on the surface, there was clear fatigue on her face. She wasn't the only one; the other pioneers seemed just as exhausted. The tension of the third wave and the disruption to their sleep schedule had left everyone worn out.

"The warriors seem to be holding up better, though. Thanks to their physical stats, they're not as exhausted. Mentally, they're a bit drained from yesterday, but they'll be fine," Rachel explained.

"And the mages are worse off, I take it?" Justin asked.

"Exactly. Most of them only focus on increasing their magic stats. How are you holding up, by the way?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not in bad shape. It's not like missing one night of sleep will throw me off. Though I am a bit tired," Justin admitted, glancing at the others.

It was clear the mages were more fatigued than the warriors. Even the settlers who had recently become pioneers didn't look much better.

"This is a headache," Justin muttered.