Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Chapter 20: The Awakening of Power

"Only two people? Are they crazy?"

Murmurs spread among the survivors. It seemed like two people were going out for a quest.

It's only been a short while since this all started, and they've already formed a team? Who are these guys...?

Derek, watching the survivors leave the safe zone, widened his eyes in surprise.

"That... that mage!"

It was the same guy who had threatened him earlier without hesitation and tried to kill him. The memory of the dark magic missile exploding right in front of his eyes was still fresh in his mind. Seeing that guy stepping out of the safe zone now, Derek ground his teeth in frustration.

If I could, I'd go after him right now...

But Derek knew that if he did, no one would ever team up with him again. Killing a person was very different from killing monsters. Suppressing his irritation, Derek sneered as he watched.

"Idiot. He thinks he's invincible just because he knows a few spells?"

Magic was powerful, sure. But it had a massive weakness — limited uses. No matter how strong your magic was, once it ran out, you'd just be a sitting duck. And they were heading out to face that many skeletons with just the two of them?

Doesn't he know how bad it is to face a horde early on? How did an idiot like that get chosen as a beta tester?

Derek could already see what would happen: they'd probably do fine at first, but then they'd run out of magic and come running back, panicked. Imagining the scene, Derek snickered. But then, he heard the mage speak.

"Black Missile."

Boom!

"...!?"

Everyone, including Derek, stared in shock as the skeleton crumbled to pieces, scattered all over the ground. The survivors, who had been watching, began murmuring louder.

"What the hell?!"

"That skeleton went down in one hit!"

"Is magic always this strong?"

"How the hell would I know!?"

Despite the commotion behind him, the mage continued without a care. He calmly pointed at the remaining skeletons and murmured again.

"Black Missile. Black Missile. Black Missile."

On top of that, Energy Drain was an attack spell too, meaning it stopped the skeletons from regenerating completely. The Warlock, fully aware of this, began using his magic with abandon.

"Black Missile. Energy Drain. Black Missile. Black Missile. Energy Drain...!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"This is insane!"

One of the survivors cursed in disbelief. The Warlock was practically having a field day, wiping out the enemies without breaking a sweat, racking up all the experience points.

Some skeletons managed to get close to the Warlock, but they didn't last long.

"Hey, Ethan! I'm too busy with the front. Can you handle the ones in the back?"

"O-Okay!"

Smash!

Ethan, who had been standing back like a bodyguard, rushed forward and slashed a skeleton with his sword, turning it into dust. Without even getting close to the Warlock, the skeletons were being obliterated. In less than five minutes, the area was cleared.

The Warlock, looking satisfied, turned to Ethan.

"Alright, now that there's nothing in the way, let's get going with the quest!"

"Uh, where should we start?"

"I know this place pretty well. Let's start with that building over there..."

The two walked off, leaving the stunned survivors in silence.

Derek stood there, wiping away the sweat on his forehead. One chilling memory came flooding back into his mind:

"If I see you outside the safe zone, I'll kill you."

At the time, he had brushed it off, thinking, Yeah, sure. Try me.

But now? That confidence was long gone. Derek wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his thoughts spinning.

Forget the quest. I'm not leaving the safe zone again.

For Derek, his pride wasn't worth more than his life.

And right now, staying alive was all that mattered.